Do They Walk Like They Talk

George Bush’s 1988 campaign pledge, "Read my lips: no new taxes," has become a mantra for those who distrust politicians and bureaucrats. The gulf between what political leaders say and do seems to be widening, and in democratic societies around the world, contributing to an atmosphere of cynicism and apathy among the citizenry. Understanding the characteristics and functions of speech in policy processes is a requirement for trying to overcome this problem; indeed, politicians and bureaucrats spend a good proportion of their time and resources discoursing, i.e., writing, speaking, and publishing. However, there has been scant analysis of political discourse; the aim of this book is to fill this analytical gap, by exploring political speech from a variety of perspectives, including normative, epistemological, and empirical. Incorporating insights from economics, political science, philosophy, and law, and evidence from the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Turkey, and the EU, the book addresses a wide variety of timely issues, including:. Fiscal discipline in speeches vs budget balance: Is an improvement (deterioration) of the budget balance preceded by a more (less) fiscally disciplined discourse? Revenues and spending forecasted in budget speeches vs realised budget outcomes: Is there a systematic bias? If so, how can we explain it? Electoral pledges vs actual realisations: Do governments follow up on their electoral pledges? Ideological stance in party publications vs spending and revenues of party governments: Do parties of the right and the left speak different languages? How can we validly classify a government as of the left or of the right? Is there a systematic difference between governments of the right and of the left in terms of their policy? Speeches by central bank officers vs monetary policy: Can changes in monetary policy be predicted by official speeches? The political business cycle: How can taking into consideration the speech-action relationship strengthen (or threaten) our knowledge about electoral and partisan cycles in public spending? Other questions explored include: Should policy makers always tell the truth and all the truth? What are the benefits and the costs of transparency? How can we resolve the apparent contradiction between the democratic demand for transparency and the efficiency requirement of secrecy in many policy areas (budget preparation, monetary policy, foreign policy, security, etc.)? Under which conditions is secrecy acceptable in a democratic society? To what extent may deception and lies lead to a breach of trust or to power abuse? What are the most efficient institutional mechanisms to prevent such abuse? Collectively, the authors present new insights for understanding political process and government activity, and suggest avenues for further research.

The calendar material in this expanded edition of Walk Like An Egyptian provides further insight into the mind of the ancient world, a glimpse into a world in which every element of reality was a manifestation of the divine and the cosmic, a time in which even the counting of days and months into years was a mystery of divine proportions. The calendar of ancient Egypt is older than astrology. The Egyptian calendar itself is almost forgotten, yet it is the direct ancestor of the Western calendar in use today. The ancient Egyptians were keenly focused on the concept of life as a journey through time, and the calendar was their map. In Walk Like An Egyptian, you will find one of the world's oldest guides to self-navigation in an easy-to-use format, a daily horoscope from the dawn of history. Each season, month and day is listed with its ancient name, together with the warnings and requirements, stories and scenarios of the gods involved in the story of the year. The day is divided into eight-hour segments of morning, afternoon and night. Sacred ceremonies and ritual feasts are also listed, making the calendar a complete guide to the Egyptian year, a horoscope unlike any other available in the modern world. The earlier editions of Walk Like An Egyptian brought the concepts of ancient Egyptian religion and philosophy into the context of the modern world. Readers around the globe found the once-obscure ideas of ancient wisdom interpreted as profound contemplations of the reality of human nature. Many familiar names in the ancient pantheon were revealed in modern terms, such as: Osiris, the divine and immortal portion of each human's soul clothed in mortal flesh; Re, the divine light of consciousness in the mind; Horus, who is the paradox of the universal nature of each soul's unique identity; Isis, bonding force of the soul; Thoth, representing the power of human thought and intellect, and more. The success of Walk Like An Egyptian led to Wheeler's collaboration with Diana Janeen Pierce, who had assembled a daily calendar of ancient Egyptian ceremonies, rituals and festivals. Wheeler and Pierce worked together on a translation of the lengthy and difficult Cairo Calendar Papyri, one of the few surviving documents detailing the system by which Egyptians organized their daily lives. Wheeler's accompanying interpretation of the Egyptian cosmos makes a lively counterpart to the horoscope, clarifying the often confusing material. Together, Wheeler and Pierce provide a modern evaluation of how to "walk like an Egyptian," attuned to eternity in your daily life and guided by eternal principles.

For years I have been saying “as soon as this is over, I’m going to write a book.” Well, it’s over…at least the physical part…and the walk has been long and hard. Clay, my second son, and I discussed writing a book for years. I’m sure his version would have been much different. I wanted him to write his own story — finding out he was gay, his feelings, and his experiences while traveling his life in California, his experiences with the new gay disease. He never did. He just lived it. His actions, his activities, and his contributions to the world are telling their own story of his life. As I was chronicling this walk, I realized Clay’s story is a story about Clay, as a person, me, as a person, and the people in our path. This book is dedicated to Clay, who was a “mixed blessing,” and to the bodies strewn along the path of the epidemic called AIDS, hewn out of history. It is my hope and the hope of those who knew and loved Clay that our experience will make someone else’s walk less painful, less lonely.

How can I be the person I want to be when I’m stuck in a job I hate? How is it possible to stay present in an era of nearly constant distractions? Can I pick someone up at a bar or club and still call myself spiritual? This nitty-gritty guide to life for the spiritual-but-not-necessarily-religious uses Buddhist teachings to answer those burning questions and a host of others related to going out, relationships, work, and social action. Based on Lodro Rinzler’s popular advice columns, Walk Like a Buddha offers wisdom that can be applied to just the sort of dilemmas that tend to arise for anyone making even a modest attempt to walk like a Buddha—that is, to live with honesty, wisdom, and compassion in the face of whatever life surprises you with.

A fast moving, intense fictional account of combat during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Difficult decisions await the men trying to blunt the German advance. Action is focused on the men of one small unit faced with long odds, new replacements and a determined foe.Written by a decorated WWII combat veteran.

Life is an adventure. Bruce and Shara Repka (a.k.a. Pony Express Ministry) are a music ministry that travels the highways and backroads of the western United States with their two horses, Rocky and Nocona (a.k.a. The Boys). Traversing the countryside in their fourteen-foot, short-wall, three-stall, living quarters horse trailer, they travel and minister wherever God sends them. Their, and others, inspirational true stories are a testament to how God reveals Himself and encourages us in our everyday lives. They have seen firsthand a real, loving, and powerful God who is always true to His word and who longs to have a personal relationship with us all. In lifes challenging moments, do you search for testimonies of encouragement that exemplify Gods love, grace, protection, and provision? Find inspiration as you enjoy the many photographs and travel this trail with them, living the adventure!

You are holding in your hands a collection of 110 short stories about the supernatural and lessons learned over forty years of serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Dead Christianity does not appeal to any but the dead. Come alive with the Holy Spirit and learn what it's like to live in the miraculous.