The Center Of It All

A profound meditation on accepting, and celebrating, one’s solitude. Whether seeking more time for solitude or suffering what seems a surfeit of it, readers will find the best of companions here. Fenton Johnson’s lyrical prose and searching sensibility explores what it means to choose to be solitary and celebrates the notion, common in his Roman Catholic childhood, that solitude is a legitimate and dignified calling. He delves into the lives and works of nearly a dozen iconic “solitaries” he considers his kindred spirits, from Thoreau at Walden Pond and Emily Dickinson in Amherst, to Bill Cunningham photographing the streets of New York; from Cézanne (married, but solitary nonetheless) painting Mont Sainte-Victoire over and over again, to the fiercely self-protective Zora Neale Hurston. Each character portrait is full of intense detail, the bright wakes they’ve left behind illuminating Fenton Johnson’s own journey from his childhood in the backwoods of Kentucky to his travels alone throughout the world and the people he has lost and found along the way. Combining memoir, social criticism, and devoted research, At the Center of All Beauty will resonate with solitaries and with anyone who might wish to carve out more space for solitude.

Publisher Description

Things happen. But when things happen, what do you do with these things? How do you process it? What meaning do you give it? Whether you've experienced hardship or if you've lied in constant victory and gain. God rests at the center. This work will help you to raise your consciousness, recognizing that everything that has happened on your life is no accident at all. Everything that has happened has so to bring you to this present moment or realization that there are no accidents. Everything has worked out exactly as planned for your ultimate good.

Winner: Honorable Mention from the Catholic Press Association Ralph Martin, drawing upon the teaching of seven acknowledged "Spiritual Doctors" of the Church, presents an indepth study of the journey to God. This book provides encouragement and direction for the pilgrim who desires to know, love, and serve our Lord. Whether the reader is beginning the spiritual journey or has been traveling the road for many years, he will find a treasure of wisdom in The Fulfillment of All Desire. It is destined to be a modern classic on the spiritual life.

In a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history. "Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." --The New York Times When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, polyglot society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor. But the story of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was merely lost, not destroyed: 12,000 pages of its records–recently declared a national treasure–are now being translated. Russell Shorto draws on this remarkable archive in The Island at the Center of the World, which has been hailed by The New York Times as “a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past.” The Dutch colony pre-dated the “original” thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. The struggle between these two strong-willed men laid the foundation for New York City and helped shape American culture. The Island at the Center of the World uncovers a lost world and offers a surprising new perspective on our own.

You know you need God. But do you know how much God needs you? The One whose mercies are new every morning wants to be your friend!

A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, and City of Girls In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life. Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe—from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers.

From the New York Times bestselling author and top pollster Dr. Frank Luntz comes an unprecedented examination of communication excellence and how top performers win in all areas of human endeavor by utilizing superb communication skills. From Mike Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger to business icons Rupert Murdoch, Steve Wynn, and Fred Smith; to the CEOs of MGM Resorts, J. Crew, and Gibson Guitar; to legendary sports superstars like Larry Bird, Jimmy Connors, and Mike Richter; to media legends Roger Ailes, Don Imus, and dozens more, Luntz tells their stories--in their own words--and demonstrates how their style of operation and communication is absolutely essential to their success. Luntz makes it clear that following the rules of effective communication is indispensable in any successful human endeavor. Dr. Luntz offers more than seventy new "words that work" for private one-on-one meetings with your boss, for public presentations to hundreds of colleagues, or for television appearances that reach millions. There are more than three dozen specific lessons and recommendations--and each one directly illustrates the nine essential action-oriented principles of winning at every level: People-Centered, Paradigm-Breaking, Prioritizing, Perfection, Partnerships, Passion, Persuasion, Persistence, and Principled Actions. Do you have what it takes Win is an unprecedented examination of the art, science, and language of winning, and a must-have for people who want to understand and emulate the winners of today. THE DEFINITION OF WINNING The ability to grasp the human dimension of every situation The ability to know what questions to ask and when to ask them The ability to see the challenge, and the solution, from every angle The ability to communicate their vision passionately and persuasively The ability to connect with others and create an enduring chemistry and 10 other universal attributes of winners.

It should be obvious even to the Scientists that discovered the God Particle, otherwise known as the Higgs Boson, that only some form of God would be the one to send out all of his particles. But, too many of us are so objective and jaded that we miss the most obvious lessons in Science right in front of our eyes. The God Particles were the first of such things created during the Big Bang and we know this because it is only the God Particle that can give all of the other particles their mass. Not only in the subatomic world, but all of our lives depend on the God Particle Field remaining in effect from the beginning of Time all the way to the end of Time. And, if it was the first thing to be created in the universe by the Creator of the universe, do we not owe this most amazing event in the history of the universe just a little more investigation and perhaps even reverence? When you look at the universe, both to the outside of us or to the inside of us, you see the magnificent footprints and fingerprints of a master Creator. Nothing is more obvious than the fact that the way things snap together so perfectly can't possibly be an accident or a random series of events. There is an obvious patter to it, so God's Particles, the ones in the center of the current model of the common understanding of Physics and subatomic physics had to have something in the middle, like a keystone for a building, something that keeps it all together and in this model we finally have reality cemented together, or at least most of it. Today, they are saying there may be a Fifth Force in the universe and a particle that carries it. But, in order to understand that fifth force, should it prove to be real, we need to fully understand the God Particle first.. This book is for anyone who has ever wondered why major events take place in their lives for which there seems to be no explanation. The explanation is clear now thanks to the discovery in Geneva Switzerland in 2012 using the most expensive scientific apparatus in history, the Large Hadron Collider, to discover the God Particle. God is no longer just a myth and part of a mythology, no longer is God based on fairy tales, or stories in children's books. God is now based on the best Scientific exploration that is possible using the human mind. The God Particle, it turns out is the most basic fundamental force that makes everything in the universe happen according to a plan. Since the discovery of this amazing new energy, we now have at our disposal a pathway to finding our source. Since the God Particle was the first thing created by the Big Bang and since it gives everything else in the universe it's mass, the stuff that makes things matter, it is simple logic to see that the God Particle Field is the way that God promulgates his will all over the universe. That means these particles are constantly working to create all of our life's events in such a way that follows God's laws, especially the ones we call the Laws of Physics. The good news is that anyone can understand these laws and use them to their own advantage. You don't need a Ph.D in any scientific discipline to fully appreciate these concepts. All you need is a little bit of curiosity as to how the universe works and your place in it. The God Particle Bible is a new Book that will take you on an adventure in Science where they have proven the existence of God. Not only has Science proven the existence of God in the manner of the discovery of the God Particle, but they have shown us how God works his miracles in our daily lives. This book, authored by noted Science Fiction writer, Michael Mathiesen is the first of its kind to describe not only how God works, but also where God lives. The author presents us with an entire new form of "Technology" that anyone can learn to use to exploit the greatest Force in the universe, to alter one's fate or change their own destiny as well as the destiny of our entire civilization. The "Force" mentioned in Star Wars actually exists. It has now been proven to exist. The God Particle Bible is the first primer on how to use 'The Force' to benefit the individual life as well as the life of the planet and all future generations.

Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, there have been dramatic changes in homeland security theory, policy, and practice. Widely available chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, high yield explosive, and cyberspace security materials, technologies, and equipment often have dual uses. Preventing rogue states and terrorist organizations from acquiring these materials is a necessary but formidable challenge. Additionally, the cyber domain has grown tremendously and may be used to target key infrastructure and resources. In addition to these threats, dramatic weather changes have caused unusual and devastating shifts in weather patterns, which in turn have triggered catastrophic events. The establishment of All-Hazard Training Centers in the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency regions to train civil support team weapons of mass destruction emergency responders for chemical, biological radiological, nuclear, explosive, and cyberspace events or natural catastrophes are becoming a necessity in light of these threats. This paper proposes establishment of All-Hazard Training Centers (AHTC) in the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions to train CST and WMD emergency responder for CBRNE-C events or natural catastrophes.