A political Field of Dreams. A moderate US president is struggling to lead amidst the country's dysfunctional polarization when he stumbles upon a centuries-old saloon where he can drink at a nightly party with every former president, living or dead. He relishes this escape and the camaraderie with his new drinking buddies who understand his problems and sympathize with him. When he realizes that that they all want only the best for both him and the country, unlike what he experiences in Washington each day, he starts to wonder if somehow this saloon can have greater value. Can he tap into the collective wisdom of Washington, Jefferson, the Roosevelts, Kennedy, Reagan and all the others to craft a solution to fix the country's broken and divisive political dynamic?

Even before the emergence of the civil rights movement, African American religion and progressive politics were assumed to be inextricably intertwined. Savage counters this assumption with the story of a highly diversified religious community whose debates over engagement in the struggle for racial equality were as vigorous as they were persistent.

This book follows the nation's presidents chronologically, from George Washington to Ronald Reagan, with stories about their ghostly manifestations, their experiences with unexplained phenomena, and odd encounters involving members of their families.

The history of paranormal phenomena in the presidential residence is revealed for the first time in a fascinating exploration of the country's most famous portal to the unknown.

The former senator and presidential candidate collects bipartisan presidential humor from famous, and not-so-famous, chief executives, from Washington to Clinton.

For over four centuries the Catholic Church enjoyed a religious monopoly in Latin America in which potential rivals were repressed or outlawed. Latin Americans were born Catholic and the only real choice they had was whether to actively practice the faith. Taking advantage of the legal disestablishment of the Catholic Church between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, Pentecostals almost single-handedly built a new pluralist religious economy. By the 1950s, many Latin Americans were free to choose from among the hundreds of available religious "products," a dizzying array of religious options that range from the African-Brazilian religion of Umbanda to the New Age group known as the Vegetable Union. R. Andrew Chesnut shows how the development of religious pluralism over the past half-century has radically transformed the "spiritual economy" of Latin America. In order to thrive in this new religious economy, says Chesnut, Latin American spiritual "firms" must develop an attractive product and know how to market it to popular consumers. Three religious groups, he demonstrates, have proven to be the most skilled competitors in the new unregulated religious economy. Protestant Pentecostalism, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and African diaspora religions such as Brazilian Candomble and Haitian Vodou have emerged as the most profitable religious producers. Chesnut explores the general effects of a free market, such as introduction of consumer taste and product specialization, and shows how they have played out in the Latin American context. He notes, for example, that women make up the majority of the religious consumer market, and explores how the three groups have developed to satisfy women's tastes and preferences. Moving beyond the Pentecostal boom and the rise and fall of liberation theology, Chesnut provides a fascinating portrait of the Latin American religious landscape.

Introduction -- "Spiritous Liquors" -- Master of Mount Vernon -- "A Pretty Considerable Distillery" -- Big Whiskey -- Making George Washington's Whiskey -- George Washington on Alcohol -- the American Whiskey Trail -- Portfolio of Distillery Images -- Notes -- Index

Experience America's secret history in the untold phenomena of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue... The scandals of the White House have always commanded attention, but little has been acknowledged of the documented paranormal events that have shaken its stately porticos for more than a century. They are in fact, part of declassified, substantiated records dating back from George Washington through the Clinton administration. Now, complete with actual transcripts of channeling sessions and séances, the history of the paranormal presidency is revealed for the first time in a fascinating exploration of the country’s most famous portal to the unknown. • What were the chilling revelations of the séances conducted by Mary Todd Lincoln, Martha Washington, and Eleanor Roosevelt? • What secrets did John F. Kennedy reveal—after his death? • Why was Hillary Clinton compelled to channel the spirits of past First Ladies? • Which presidents admitted in private to have had UFO encounters? • What’s the source of the strange light emanating from the Rose Room? • Who—or what—is playing the haunted strains of phantom music in the private halls of the White House? Featuring a comprehensive see-for-yourself tour guide to the Presidential Haunted Places.

4e de couv.: This anthropology addresses persisting questions social anthropologist, historians, and political scientists working in African societies have been confronted with: Do spirits enter the scene after political have failed as a relapse into an allegedly non-modern condition? Or do they precede colonial processes of political transformation, as classis theories of modernization try to establish? The volume seeks to extend the reflections on the relationship of religious phenomena in the socio-political sphere in African societies. It presents case studies which focus on the concepts of modernity, power, and violence, adding the notion of healing to this context and investigating their empirical correlations.