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S3 E09- The Devil's Calling: Will Over-Reliance on Tech and AI Wilt Our Humanity?

Imagine a world where technology allows for direct interface between the human brain and quantum computers, exponentially increasing the creative abilities of humanity and holding the potential to make war, hunger, poverty, pandemics and other human suffering obsolete. When human capability is enhanced by that much, how does ego resist the temptation toward power and control? What would happen if an ultimate technological power gets into the wrong hands – those who further seek to link minds directly through this quantum computer into an augmented hive-mind?

A sequel to his first offering, The Lost Theory, Michael Kelley takes the reader to the characters’ lives nine years later in the thrilling sci-fi adventure, The Devil’s Calling.

Kelley mixes mystery, science-fiction, philosophy, spirituality and action in this globe-spanning thriller of a novel. As in the previous book, the story centers around Sean McQueen and Emily Edens, the latter nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physics, finding themselves thrust into the position of having to save the world with the help of friends and an AI the two befriended.

On the surface, Kelley takes the reader around the planet for an intriguing high-tech experience while at the same time leading a similar tour of McQueen’s mind, inner conflict and feelings for Emily.

For those in our listening audience who enjoy the proverbial “Easter Eggs” within books and other creations, Kelley offers nods to some of the great classic rock artists sprinkled throughout the book.

Michael Kelley fell in love with literature and creative writing while at the University of Pennsylvania. He put this passion to the side during a lengthy career on Wall Street, where he worked as a lawyer, built an international business, and founded his own investment management firm. After leaving the financial world, he engaged in studies of quantum physics, Eastern mysticism, and philosophy. From these studies, he developed a “Theory of Everything” which became the basis of his novels.

After years of life in New York City, Michael now lives in the peaceful woods of Dutchess County with his wife and daughter. There, he enjoys meditation, yoga, wine, reading, and hiking, all of which inspire his writing.

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S2 E11 -Top Entertainment Lawyer Norman Bacal's Advice for Young Professionals Post-COVID

What is the difference between an average career and a successful one? Why are stellar communication skills critically important? What is grit and why does it matter more than innate natural ability? How do some people pull themselves out of poverty and into the ranks of successful entrepreneurs and professionals? Top Entertainment Lawyer Norman Bacal, in his clear and insightful book Take Charge, faces these questions and challenges young professionals to build the skills which can empower them toward professional success.

“You can float along, hoping everything works out; or you can take charge of your future beginning right now. There are tools you need to survive and thrive,” says Bacal.

The founder of prestigious Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie and an attorney, Bacal has decades of experience and learned wisdom to draw on. Across the span of his career, Bacal noticed a void between what he was taught in law school and the practical skills he later developed that actually made a difference in building a successful career. In Take Charge, he provides a guidebook which gives back to the world of budding professionals, helping students and young entrepreneurs find their way toward success.

Norman Bacal is a retired attorney and the founder of the Toronto law office Heenan Blaikie. While building and leading this firm, he also became a widely sought expert in tax law for the entertainment business. He has represented studios such as Warner Brothers and MGM, and served on the Board of Directors for Lionsgate while they were producing the Hunger Games film franchise.

Upon retirement from practice in 2015, he took up writing, authoring the Globe and Mail bestselling memoir, Breakdown, as well as his Amazon bestselling fiction novel Odell’s Fall and a soon to be released second novel, Ophelia. Bacal actively mentors young professionals and is a frequent keynote speaker at universities, firm retreats, and conferences. Bacall holds a third degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and is an avid golfer. He currently resides in Toronto with his wife, Sharon.
Visit his website at www.NormanBacal.com

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S2 E04 – Cross Winds: The Business and High-Flying Adventures of SM&A Founder Steven Myers

Our guest on this week’s Book Spectrum can not really be categorized.
Is he a businessman? He did found S-M-and-A, led several companies and is what we call a “serial entrepreneur.”
Is he an adventurer? In 1992, at the end of the Cold War, Steven Myers became the first American since Charles Lindbergh in 1931, to pilot an aircraft into the Russian Kamchatka peninsula – to do business.
A life-improvement specialist? His dealings in Post-Soviet territories have made lives better for their populations.
Steven Myers is also a Mathematician and served in the Air Force… that’s a short list.
We wanted to learn more about Myers after reading his book: CrossWinds: Adventures and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Far East, so we invited him on the show.

For more on Steven Myers and his book, visit his website: https://stevenmyers.com/cross-winds/

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S2, E02: Art Rios Says, :"Let's Talk"

Can you look back at your life and say you have no regrets? Are you bogged down by the meaningless complexities of the world? In his witty and poignant first book: Let’s Talk, lawyer and “Student of Humanity” – as he puts it – Art Rios says it’s never too late to make your life exciting, easier, and exceptional.

“When, where, why, and how did life stop being exciting and straightforward?” Rios asks. “We’ve taken on so much stress and worry. All the time. But why? For what?”

The book, Let’s Talk, is arranged as a series of “talks.” Rios offers fun, simple ways you can improve your life today. It can be as easy as spending more time with family, relaxing with a long lunch, or enjoying a lazy Sunday in your pajamas.

“Improving your life doesn’t have to be complicated,” says Rios. “It’s just a matter of putting a little common sense and thought into the way you’re living your life.”

Pick up Art’s book through his website: https://riostalks.com/

S01-E04 – Ann Marie Hancock: You Can't Drive Your Car to Your Own Funeral

On the next #Book Spectrum, Chris welcomes Ann Marie Hancock, author of You Can’t Drive Your Car to Your Own Funeral. Ann Marie tells an honest and unique story about the challenges of #caregiving after her mother was diagnosed with terminal #cancer. The book is also about the bond between mothers and daughters with both compelling and funny stories from Ann Marie’s time with her mom.
Ann Marie Hancock digs deeper into her heart as she and her daughter together overcome the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis with a message of undeniable optimism. http://www.bookspectrum.com
#MS #MothersAndDaughters #CaringForAParent

Pick up the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2vlGmZ2

Ann Marie Hancock’s Website: http://authorannmariehancock.com/

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S01-E03 – Susan Zimet: Author of Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How Women Won the Right to Vote

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. The women’s suffrage movement was not a new thing then, it was being fought for be courageous, pioneering ladies for over 70 years before the 1920 ratification.
Susan Zimet, anti-hunger advocate and author of the book Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote, talks with host Chris Cordani about the earliest days of the suffrage movement before the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, the work of women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucy Stone into the final authorization of the 19th amendment.
For more information on Susan Zimet, her book and her humanitarian work, visit her website: https://www.susanzimet.com/
Find Roses and Radicals on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roses-Radicals-Story-American-Women-ebook/dp/B072J77M24/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1511208574&sr=1-1
Find Roses and Radicals on Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/roses-and-radicals-susan-zimet/1126438150?ean=9780451477545#/
Zimet discusses how female activists were beaten and tortured in the 19th century for little more than trying to win the right to choose legislators and leaders as well as how the movement played a role in the prohibition of the 1920s as women gained more political power though their new voting rights.
http://www.bookspectrum.com
#19thammendment #womenssuffrage #books #history

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S01-E02 – Martin Lowy on "Capitalism For Democrats: Why We Need It"

Political #centrist, attorney and #entrepreneur Martin Lowy presents the moral relevance of capitalism and why it’s crucial for Americans to embrace it in his new book, “Capitalism for Democrats: Why This Country Needs It.”
Could this concise, well-written, easy-to-understand book could unite our country?
Despite the fake news, fighting politicians, and personal agendas, Lowy’s common-sense capitalism that embraces both necessary regulation and the supremacy of the consumer appeals to conservatives and liberals alike.
Find out why a former member of the Federal Reserve, a VP from Brookings Institution, a Supreme Court advocate and an Amazon Top 100 reviewer are so impressed with this important book.
Hear Martin Lowy on our next Book Spectrum. http://www.bookspectrum.com

Martin’s artiles from Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com/author/martin-lowy#regular_articles

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/noresults/9781694514722
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781694514722&i=stripbooks&linkCode=qs&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin-20&ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin