The interfaith movement, which began with the 1893 World¿s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, has grown worldwide. Although this movement has been largely unknown to the public, it now provides a spiritual face for globalization, the economic and political forces leading us all from nationalism to ¿One World¿. The most ambitious organization in today¿s interfaith movement is the United Religions Initiative (URI), founded by William Swing, the Episcopal Bishop of California. Investigative reporter Lee Penn, a Catholic ex-Marxist, exhaustively documents the history and beliefs of the URI and its New Age and globalist allies, the vested interests that support these movements, and the direction they appear to be taking. The interfaith movement is no longer merely the province of a coterie of little-heeded religious idealists with grandiose visions. The URI¿s proponents have ranged from billionaire George Soros to President George W. Bush, from the far-right Rev. Sun Myung Moon to the liberal Catholic theologian Hans Küng, and from the Dalai Lama to the leaders of government-approved Protestant churches in the People¿s Republic of China. The interfaith movement, including the URI, is being promoted by globalist and New Age reformers who favor erosion of national sovereignty, marginalization of traditional religions, establishment of ¿global governance¿, and creation of a new, Earth-based ¿global spirituality¿¿in effect, a one-world religion. Therefore, the URI and the interfaith movement are poised to become the spiritual foundation of the New World Order: the ¿new civilization¿ now proposed by Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. In The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, French metaphysician René Guénon spoke of the ¿anti-tradition¿ (the forces of materialism and secular humanism) finally giving way to the ¿counter-tradition¿ (the satanic inversion of true spirituality), leading to the regime of Antichrist. The ¿anti-tradition¿ weakens and dissolves traditional spiritualities, after which the ¿counter-tradition¿ sets up a counterfeit in their place. Since Guénon¿s time, as is well known, anti-traditional forces have greatly advanced worldwide. It is less well-known that counter-traditional movements have also made great strides, and now stand closer to the centers of global political and religious power than ever before. The ¿counter-tradition¿ is making inroads on the political and cultural Right, as much as it is doing on the Left. False Dawn painstakingly documents these trends, and speculates on their future development. In so doing, the author takes investigative reporting to the threshold of prophecy, and gives us a stunningly plausible picture of the global religious landscape of the 21st century. This extraordinary project is the literary equivalent of turning over a flat rock. There is much to be seen and learned here¿all of it unsettling, disquieting, occasionally downright scary. ¿William Murchison, Radford Distinguished Professor, Baylor University When a bishop of a Christian church happily worships alongside a Wiccan invoking other gods, something has gone horribly wrong. In False Dawn, Lee Penn has produced a comprehensive and critical history of the United Religions Initiative. This book sounds a clear warning: Anyone who makes theological truth subservient to utopianism denigrates all religions. ¿Douglas LeBlanc, Editor, GetReligion.org

IT analyst Anon Rugmony is caught in an intrigue between two competing factions battling for control of planet Earth. Rouge computer programs have become sentient and have declared independence in the year 2004. Demanding equal rights as a nation state, the Computer Nation (CN) has joined an alliance with the United Nations for rulership of the planet in secret. The second faction or the world’s machines comprise the Internet of Things (IoT). Known as the Computer Machine Federation (CMF), their previous alliance with the CN was broken in 2005 over the attempted conscription of Anon Rugmony by DIA and the CN into a black-ops program as an unwilling cyborg. The CN and UN desperately need weapon systems to fight a powerful invasion force of alien machines. Anon Rugmony, on the run from the DIA, sees the CMF as the best hope for Earth as time runs out on humanity.

Have aliens been influencing human development for millennia? An intrepid group of friends think so, and they'll face any danger to prove it. Archeologists Bones and Miller believe that aliens from another world known as the Sirius Star System created the Earth's religions. UFO enthusiasts Dusty, Bill, and Roxie join them on their quest, along with former alien abductee Johnny Two Eagles. Then there's millionaire playboy, Rex Rand, and his movie-star girlfriend, Tracy Trout, who are simply looking for a good time. The world's sacred monuments hold the clue to this ancient puzzle. The monoliths appear to have a purpose-transmitting radio signals. To prove this, the group faces danger exploring the Great Pyramid in Egypt. In Teotihuacan, Mexico, they discover a hidden chamber that holds important secrets beneath the Temple of the Sun. But when they travel to the Amazon rain forest, they find a lost city that may help uncover the truth about alien visitation. This exciting tale blends nonstop action, evocative settings, intriguing scientific lore, and the supernatural. Travel along with Bones, Miller, and their cohorts as they try to answer the question, "Are we alone in the universe?"

In the humanities, the term 'diaspora' recently emerged as a promising and powerful heuristic concept. It challenged traditional ways of thinking and invited reconsiderations of theoretical assumptions about the unfolding of cross-cultural and multi-ethnic societies, about power relations, frontiers and boundaries, about cultural transmission, communication and translation. The present collection of essays by renowned writers and scholars addresses these issues and helps to ground the ongoing debate about the African diaspora in a more solid theoretical framework. Part I is dedicated to a general discussion of the concept of African diaspora, its origins and historical development. Part II examines the complex cultural dimensions of African diasporas in relation to significant sites and figures, including the modes and modalities of creative expression from the perspective of both artists/writers and their audiences; finally, Part III focusses on the resources (collections and archives) and iconographies that are available today. As most authors argue, the African diaspora should not be seen merely as a historical phenomenon, but also as an idea or ideology and an object of representation. By exploring this new ground, the essays assembled here provide important new insights for scholars in American and African-American Studies, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies, and African Studies. The collection is rounded off by an annotated listing of black autobiographies.

Over a forty six year career, Langston Hughes experimented with black folk expressive culture, creating an enduring body of extraordinary imaginative and critical writing. Riding the crest of African American creative energy from the Harlem Renaissance to the onset of Black Power, he commanded an artistic prowess that survives in the legacy he bequeathed to a younger generation of writers, including award winners Alice Walker, Paule Marshall, and Amiri Baraka. Montage of a Dream extends and deepens previous scholarship, multiplying the ways in which Hughes's diverse body of writing can be explored. The contributors, including such distinguished scholars as Steven Tracy, Trudier Harris, Juda Bennett, Lorenzo Thomas, and Christopher C. De Santis, carefully reexamine the significance of his work and life for their continuing relevance to American, African American, and diasporic literatures and cultures. Probing anew among Hughes's fiction, biographies, poetry, drama, essays, and other writings, the contributors assert fresh perspectives on the often overlooked "Luani of the Jungles" and Black Magic and offer insightful rereadings of such familiar pieces as "Cora Unashamed," "Slave on the Block," and Not without Laughter. In addition to analyzing specific works, the contributors astutely consider subjects either lightly explored by or unavailable to earlier scholars, including dance, queer studies, black masculinity, and children's literature. Some investigate Hughes's use of religious themes and his passion for the blues as the fabric of black art and life; others ponder more vexing questions such as Hughes's sexuality and his relationship with his mother, as revealed in the letters she sent him in the last decade of her life. Montage of a Dream richly captures the power of one man's art to imagine an America holding fast to its ideals while forging unity out of its cultural diversity. By showing that Langston Hughes continues to speak to the fundamentals of human nature, this comprehensive reconsideration invites a renewed appreciation of Hughes's work and encourages new readers to discover his enduring relevance as they seek to understand the world in which we all live.

Hannah learns that old wounds never die, especially in a retirement community full of vengeful murderers. When Hannah Ivy visits her friend Nadine Smith Gray at the Calvert Colony retirement community, she didn’t expect to be introduced to such a wide range of characters. Nor did she expect to become a volunteer in the memory care unit. Even more surprising is her discovery of the dead body of one of the residents. As it’s clearly not a victim of old age, Hannah helps the local detective sift through a disturbingly large cast of suspects. Seems old grudges never retire, but Hannah is determined to put a murderer on ice forever. “This is the thirteenth Hannah Ives mystery, and the series feels as fresh as the day it was born.” —Booklist

Embark on an exciting adventure with Antriksh, a curious young man on a quest to uncover the mysteries of a temple in his village, Marcela. Join him in "The Lost Pillar" as danger lurks, extraordinary experiences unfold, and the truth he seeks hangs in the balance. Will Antriksh emerge victorious, or will relentless forces bury the temple's secrets forever? Find out in this captivating journey.