In “The Grand Illusion” professor Singh offers unbiased comments from the rationalist’s point of view on the concepts of God, belief, customs and ceremonies- which we collectively call “religion.” His comments are quite comprehensive, embracing worship, prayer, holy books and places, miracles and salvation, as well as the theory of karma, attributes of God and life's purpose. The author’s goal is to shed light on the absurdity of certain ideas, attitudes, and activities in the spiritual realm of religion and faith, thus helping mankind free its thinking from the stifling grip of irrationality, i.e., to become its own helper and savior. His reasoning demonstrates that- just as religious followers believe that "God only helps those who help themselves"- it is humankind, and not God, who is responsible for saving itself. In other words, a spiritual entity saving mankind is an historical absurdity; humanity must be its own savior. The author wants to awaken humanity from its spiritual slumber and open its eyes so that people see for themselves how their behavior is steeped in irrationality. Man is a rational being and his cognition and behavior should confirm and justify rationality. Unfortunately, in any conflict between emotions and intellect, the former invariably wins. Why is that? Emotion (irrationality) is as old as life itself, whereas intellect (rationality) is comparatively an infant on the life's evolutionary scale. Humanity must recognize and nourish this infant so that it develops and becomes our dependable guide. It is not the author's intention to criticize or condemn any religion; religion stands condemned by the behavior of its own followers. In truth, religion has failed in raising man to any higher level and humanity has remained unsaved despite a horde of saviors. The path to progress, enlightenment or further evolutionary growth, without a doubt, lies through reason and rationality - not through religious fervor. The only religion worthy of mankind is "Rationalism and Humanism."

In this incredible conclusion to the AVENGER OF THULE and GATES OF DELIRIUM, Arka-Dal leads a coalition force against invaders and forges alliances with prior enemies. It's the final battle in the Great War and the fate of all humankind is at stake. Even if he wins the war, he still must prevent the Silent One from getting his hands on the last of the fabled Books of Alzari. THE GRAND ILLUSION takes Arka-Dal and his friends to their final confrontation with the powerful wizard and has a surprise ending you'll never forget.

Historical fiction inspired by the War Office response to the Nazi obsession with the occult Step forward Daphne Devine - you are about to change the course of the war ‘A breathtaking historical thriller.’ Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key 'Vivid and thoroughly entertaining... More, please.' Guardian, best crime and thrillers June 1940. As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique. Then the secret service call. For, aware of Hitler’s belief in the occult, the war office has set up a hidden cohort to exploit this quirk in the enemy’s chain of command. Daphne and Jonty find themselves far from the glitz and glamour of the theatre, deep inside the lower levels of Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, they join secret ranks of occultists, surrealists, and other eccentrics co-opted to the war effort. There is one goal: to avert invasion on British shores. Soon Daphne realises she must risk everything if there is any chance of saving her country 'Quirky, clever and compelling.' Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl 'A rattling good read.' Barbara Nadel, author of Belshazzar's Daughter

"It is VERY good. Fine piece of work. I have edited many books but this is the only one that has the jewel and the lotus and the muddy pool all in harmony. Rings true throughout my spiritual mountain climb and resonates with the ones whom I noticed were ahead of me. This is a handbook for people who have been round the track a few times. Blessings, Douglas. " -Author, teacher, healer, Douglas Buchanan.

"Well-researched and welcome work on the German efforts to train the Chilean army during the Parliamentary Regime (1891-1924). Argues convincingly that what appeared outwardly to be a Prussian-style military was in reality an ill-fed, poorly equipped mili

In 1861, 15 yr. old Alexandra is sent to Virginia to learn how to be a proper lady. The country is already in the grips of Civil War when a battle begins nearby. Eager to observe and not be detected, she borrows a young man's clothes. Hidden behind trees, Alexandra watches as the first Battle of Bull Run unfolds before her. After the devastating clash, she is drawn onto the field when a Union officer mistakes her for an out-of-uniform soldier. Alexandra makes the decision to carry on the charade and joins the fight disguised as Alex, the Union soldier. In the American Civil War, over four hundred women dressed as men to serve as soldiers and spies. The character of Alexandra is based on the real life experiences of Sarah Edmonds Seelye, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, and the other women who disguised themselves as men to serve as soldiers in the American Civil War.

What is reading? In this groundbreaking book, esteemed researchers Ken Goodman, Peter Fries, and Steven Strauss, explain not only what reading really is but also why common sense makes it seem to be something quite different from that reality. How can this grand illusion be explained? That is the purpose of this book. As the authors show, unraveling the secrets of the grand illusion of reading teaches about far more than reading itself, but also about how remarkable human language is, how the brain uses language to navigate the world, what it means to be human. Each author brings a different perspective, but all share a common view of the reading process. Together they provide a clear and surprising exposition of the reading process, in which they involve readers of this book in exploring the ways they themselves read and make sense of written language while their eyes fixate on fewer than 70 percent of the words in the text. In addition, the authors engage in a cross-disciplinary discussion about how readers use the brain, eyes, and language in reading. The different perspectives provide depth to the authors’ description of reading. The information presented in this book will be new to many teachers, researchers, teacher educators, and the public alike. The final chapter draws on the understandings from the book to challenge the treatment of reading and writing as school subjects and offers the basis for supporting literacy development as a natural extension of oral language development.

The Grand Illusion: The Misinterpretation of the Nixon Doctrine is a thesis describing the missed points within the philosophy of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. The author summarizes the foreign policy actions taken during the Nixon presidency, as well as the philosophical reasoning behind the decisions.

Dudley Carnforth, gifted beyond the average with the 'gift of the gab', and also a 'jack-of-all-trades' scientific and master of none, decides that the time has come to end his grasshopper leaping from one job to another and do something really arresting which will put him on top of the world. Born in an age where space travel is just around the corner but not yet accomplished, he conceives the notion of pooling the many sciences he almost understands and producing therefrom a master plan for the conquest of space...

Panozzos memoir is a no-holds-barred, backstage pass to the journey of one of the worlds most popular bands, and the true story of his struggle to reconcile his public life as a rock star with his private life as a gay man. 16-page photo insert.