Media Studies

Afghanistan was an American crusade to win the cold war against the “Evil Soviet Empire” and remake the world in its own image. Our telling goes right to the heart of understanding what really happened to America with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Instead of fulfilling the Western Dream, the US trapped itself in its own nightmare of endless war. Now Americans long for a spiritual regeneration towards peace. No one seems able to make the process move in the right direction. Over four decades we assimilated an understanding of how to envision moving from war as an honorable sacrifice to peace that serves all. Our two-part novelized memoir delivers a revelatory look at how we came to that awareness throughworldly and otherworldly encounters with many fascinating people along the way.                   -The Valediction: Three Nights of Desmond Book 1 combines Three Days of the Condor and JFK as journalist Paul Fitzgerald unravels the deep state mystery behind the unsolved 1979 assassination of U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Adolph Dubs. Dubs’ death changed the world as much as JFK’s but few even know his name. In a serendipitous encounter at the Kabul Hotel during his investigation, Paul meets a mysterious ally who not only helps him solve the Dubs’ murder, he challenges Paul’s assumptions about why he was drawn to Afghanistan in the first place and what to do about it.  

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With the help of University of Oregon professors, as well as professors from CU Boulder and University of Cincinnati, this book ties together the author's personal experiences and interviews of members of the New Hollywood and those that influenced them, such as the Merry Pranksters and their film crew, Poetic Cinema Filmmakers, still living members of the Beat Generation, and through academic articles and books, from Plato to Yeats and the time's literary theory deconstructionists, answers the question of what created them.

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Gamers, Multiculturalists, and the Great Coming Apart is the first book to pull together the central features of the American society, character, and history of the global era and its immediate aftermath into a single, powerful, comprehensive, and coherent picture. Seamlessly interdisciplinary, it looks at all facets of recent American society and history as reflecting first the global liberal paradigm that reigned from 1965 until 2016, and then the incipient paradigms that have competed during the years of crisis since.It is the first book to pull together the central features of American society, character, and history since 1965 into a single comprehensive and coherent picture that dissents from key aspects of the long-dominant paradigm.Gamers, Multiculturalists, and the Great Coming Apart describes and extensively analyzes the gamers, the fascinating new upper class that has risen to dominance in this country as in most others during the last half century. It also analyzes the character and circumstances of the middle class, working class, and underclass, laying bare the profound, many-sided conflict between the gamers and the middle and working classes. It also examines the

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An Intimate Story of Brian Epstein as told by Larry StantonNew Second Edition -- January 2022 'Hide Your Love Away' is a memoir about true events that reveal for the first time many tightly kept secrets held close to the heart of one man for fifty-six years…until now. This is the story about a clandestine multi-year gay relationship and loving supportive intimate conversations between an attractive young American man named Larry Stanton and the British born manager of the Beatles, Brian Epstein. While Brian was basking in the attainment of fame with the Beatles and traveling worldwide, he also was struggling with a concealed darker side of life. The artists he managed had no knowledge of the demons Brian hid within, but due to a chance meeting, Larry became a mutual confidant. It takes place during the sixties music revolution with Brian in the forefront of historical changes and both in the midst of Hollywood and British luminaries. Notorious London gangsters and music moguls who played in the demise of the internationally recognized manager are disclosed. 'Hide Your Love Away' narrates the details of Brian and Larry's four-year close and personal relationship, intimate and humor filled dinners, transatlantic calls, and the introduction of a young manipulative man. That mysterious and devious person became the toxic lover who played a part in Brian's heavy emotional troubles and drug use, and may be responsible for his early death. 'Hide Your Love Away' shares their quest for true love and supportive companionship when the laws in England and the U.S. kept gay men and women locked in the closet. Those oppressive and frightening laws resulted in enormous suffering that strangled the basic need of a loving relationship that was everyone's right. Why should they have to hide their love away or be cast as deplorable individuals? Both suffered greatly, each man dealing with it in his own individual way. The relationship between them could have been what each had dreamt of, but complications got in the way. Chapters of 'Hide Your Love Away' reveal extortion attem

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The Ethnic Encyclopedia of Laughter   By Frank Holder and Darryl Littleton A wide-ranging and inclusive comedy encyclopedia This Day in Comedy is not just an encyclopedia, but a celebration of comedy. In humorous prose the book takes readers through the often-neglected subcultures of comedy in America, acknowledging the inclusiveness of the performers as well as shows and films that made this art form so vital to comics of all backgrounds. It’s artistically criminal that a search for Native American or Asian comedy information yields a virtually blank slate. Look for Middle Eastern comics and you’ll be provided information on the region’s comic book revolution, and search results for Latin comedy are confined to a series of outdated articles. This encyclopedia will offer rare and in some cases never-before-seen photos and obscure facts, making it an indispensable comedy essential. Darryl Littleton is a comedian, Emmy nominated writer and former producer of BET’s Comic View. Under his stage persona, D’Militant, he’s appeared on Def Comedy Jam, Loco Comedy Jam, and ABC’s America’s Funniest People where he was the Grand Prize Winner. Darryl has entertained US troops overseas, released two comedy CDs, was an NPR commentator and his first book, Black Comedians on Black Comedy, was adapted for the Showtime documentary, Why We Laugh. He’s a Comedy Hall of Fame curator and following a two-year bout with cancer Darryl was made VP of Talent for Humor Mill-TV. Frank Holder is the founder and publisher of Humor Mill Magazine, an urban comedy and entertainment digital magazine distributed to more than 1.3 million people and a publication known for introducing emerging comedians to the general public. Since its inception, they have introduced thousands of previously unknown comedians, while sharing in-depth interviews and exclusives for their audience. PERFORMING ARTS496 PAGES, 6 X 9FORMATS: TRADE PAPER, EPUB, MOBIPOCKETTRADE PAPER, $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $32.95PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 2019ISBN 9781634242622RIGHTS: WOR (DEC 2019) TRINEDAY STAR

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During her decades-long career in film, author Katherine Ann Wilson has amassed an amazing collection of movie memorabilia from 50 different major motion pictures. There are close to 500 photographs of these artifacts, from wardrobe sketches to call sheets, and some rather encyclopedic items like images of crew badges and set cranes. Katherine has been a mentor for film students as well—starting them as gofers, teaching them set etiquette, then taking them all the way through screenplay, set design, camera composition, auditioning, editing, soundtrack composition, copyright, marketing, premieres, film festivals, and world-wide distribution. More than a resource for film mentors like Katherine, this book answers the most unanswered question: How did you get into the movie business? For readers wanting to know how to stay in it, and how to succeed in it, Katherine delves into the art of filmmaking and her personal experiences. TRUE CRIME320 PAGES, 6 X 9FORMATS: TRADE PAPER, EPUB, MOBIPOCKETTRADE PAPER, $19.95 (US $19.95) (CA $26.95)PUBLICATION DATE: AUGUST 2019 ISBN 9781634242400RIGHTS: WOR TRINE DAY (AUG 2019)

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A high school dropout at 15, and deported to Canada at 17, John Barbour is recognized as "the godfather of reality TV" for his role as the creator, producer, co-host, and writer of the trendsetting hit Real People. He won the first of his five Emmys as the original host of AM LA in 1970, where he interviewed controversial anti-war guests like Mohammed Ali, Cesar Chavez, and Jane Fonda. He was the first in America to do film reviews on the news, winning three more consecutive Emmys as KNBC's Critic-At-Large. He spent ten years as Los Angeles Magazine's most widely read and quoted critic and early in his career, he made stand-up comedy appearances on The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show, and others. In 1992 he wrote and directed the award-winning The Garrison Tapes, which Director Oliver Stone heralded as "the perfect companion piece to my movie, JFK." In 2017 he wrote and directed part two: The American Media and the Second Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which was applauded as "the definitive film on JFK and the rise of Fake News." In this highly entertaining, deeply informative autobiography, readers will discover what a multifaceted storyteller Barbour is. BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY738 PAGES, 6 X 9FORMATS: TRADE PAPERTRADE PAPER, $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $33.95)PUBLICATION DATE: APRIL 2019ISBN 9781634242462RIGHTS: WORTRINE DAY (APR 2019)

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Like no other book before it, this work delves into the deep, dark and mysterious undertones hidden in Tinsel Town’s biggest films. Esoteric Hollywood is a game-changer in an arena of tabloid-populated titles. After years of scholarly research, Jay Dyer has compiled his most read essays, combining philosophy, comparative religion, symbolism and geopolitics and their connections to film. Readers will watch movies with new eyes, able to decipher on their own, as the secret meanings of cinema are unveiled. HISTORY300 PAGES, 6 X 9FORMATS: TRADE PAPERTRADE PAPER, $19.95 (US $19.95) (CA $23.95)PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 2018ISBN 9781634241939RIGHTS: WORTRINE DAY (DEC 2018

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By Jay Dyer Like no other book before it, this work delves into the deep, dark and mysterious undertones hidden in Tinsel Town’s biggest films. Esoteric Hollywood is a game-changer in an arena of tabloid-populated titles. After years of scholarly research, Jay Dyer has compiled his most read essays, combining philosophy, comparative religion, symbolism and geopolitics and their connections to film. Readers will watch movies with new eyes, able to decipher on their own, as the secret meanings of cinema are unveiled. Jay Dyer is a writer and researcher from the Southern US with a B.A. in philosophy, his graduate work focused on the interplay of literary theory, espionage and philosophy. He is dedicated to investigating the deeper themes and messages found in our globalist pseudo-culture, illustrating the connections between philosophy, metaphysics, secret societies, Hollywood, psychological warfare and comparative religion. Jay is a regular contributor to the popular Intelligence Hub, 21st Century Wire and the scholarly Soul of the East, as well as conducting numerous interviews with experts in fields ranging from espionage to history to economics. Jay's work has appeared on the web’s top alternative media outlets: Activist Post, Red Ice, Waking Times, Rense, Icke and Infowars, as well as appearing on the Alex Jones Show. Jay has broken national and international news, numerous viral alt news stories, as well as surpassing 1 million views in its first 4 years. HISTORY300 PAGES, 6 X 9FORMATS: TRADE PAPERTRADE PAPER, $19.95 (US $19.95) (CA $23.95)PUBLICATION DATE: JUNE 2016ISBN 9781634240772RIGHTS: WORTRINE DAY (JUN 2016)

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When people think of the movie business, they tend to conjure up images of glitz and glamor, of hundred-thousand-dollar swag-bags, outrageously expensive gowns and beautiful people leading bigger-than-life lives. But the dirty-little-secret behind all that glitz and glamor is that a film set is one of the most dangerous places to work. 1) This is an important book. Behind the so-called glamour of filmmaking lies the unpleasant fact that the entertainment industry, like any other industry, has its own variety of industrial accidents. Sometimes fate throws you a curve, but the vast majority of accidents can be avoided by simply following the procedures that are clearly presented in this book. Future filmmakers will do well to read this and then review it before each production. Planning a safe production is far easier and less expensive than ignoring this step and having to deal with the consequences of litigation, injury or even death. The author draws on his decades of experience as a Hollywood producer as well as his experience at the USC film school to illustrate his points with real-life examples. The book is written with clarity and wit, but most of all, with information that can literally be life-saving.

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Sherlock Being Catfished is a memoir of a self-induced hypnosis, brilliantly choreographing a pas-de-deux with an internet “catfish” and allowing us to see a sensitive, lonely woman succumb to a devilish entrapment helplessly yet altogether knowingly. The story conveys a thrilling level of consciousness, overwhelmed yet in full knowledge of what is happening and even why, enabling Mellen author to speak in a manner that transcends her personal experience, to the universal vulnerability of the human heart. As the scam unfolds, she makes connections between present and past - the work she has done and people she has encountered over her decades of research, investigations and writing. Sherlock Being Catfished is an undeniably unique and penetrating look at the world of internet dating, and how anyone, regardless of their prolific life’s work and accomplishments, can fall victim to a romance scammer.

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Gangster Planet, which is thoroughly researched and documented, yet written in a style that entertains while it informs. Much of the book provides historical analysis about how—as technology is constantly changing—crime not only persists unabated, but criminals upgrade their modernized techniques of doing business as well.It also shows how criminals involved in drug trafficking work hand-in-hand with more “professional” white-collar criminals who assist in laundering the proceeds of crime through public corporations throughout the world.An alternative subtitle could have been “The Transition of Organized Crime into Transnational Organized Crime”.

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Brook Urick worked behind the scenes at notorious sugar daddy website SeekingArrangement for five years while trying her own luck as a sugar baby. Part coming of age memoir and part exposé with a twist of grim dating advice, Brook’s story parallels her unusual relationship history with her ascension working for a pseudo dating website designed to protect predatory men. Through anecdotal evidence and insider information, she paints the picture of an evil machine that serves as an agency for sex trafficking and exploitation.While working under a controversial  CEO, at Seeking (formerly SeekingArrangement or SA), she perpetuated lies to the media while product developers designed a website that absolved perpetrators through anonymity. The rise in social media facades of unattainable luxury and wealth disparity pushed the Disney generation to sign up as sugar babies in droves. Many were victimized. Most victims don’t come forward due to the shame and stigma surrounding sex work. Anonymous abusers are free to return to Seeking and bait their next mark.Brook’s account details how a laissez-faire attitude around sex in her early years led to manipulation, coercion and statutory rape. Her story examines the progression of the internet and its domination over our lives through an untold lens. She points a spotlight on shady websites where pedophiles hide in plain sight, revealing the sordid truth about Seeking through disturbing revelations during her tenure.Many underage sex trafficking reports from law enforcement and women’s centers cite a sugar daddy website as the root cause of abuse. Seeking and websites like it operate in a legal gray area due to vague and outdated laws governing the internet, known as Section 230. So why isn’t Seeking being investigated?

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