Not In Kansas Anymore

Magic has stepped out of the movies, morphed from the pages of fairy tales, and is more present in America today than you might expect. Soccer moms get voodoo head washings in their backyards, young American soldiers send chants toward pagan gods of war, and a seemingly normal family determines that they are in fact elves. National bestselling author and award-winning religion reporter Christine Wicker leaves no talisman unturned in her hunt to find what's authentic and what's not in America's burgeoning magical reality. From the voodoo temples of New Orleans to the witches' covens of Salem to a graveyard in north Florida, Wicker probes the secrets of an underground society and teaches lessons she never dreamed could be taught. What she learns repels her, challenges her, and changes her in ways she never could have imagined. And if you let it, it might change you, too.

"We have traded tales, my buddies and I; of affairs, encounters, secrets, fears, self-promotion-of fantasies that we make real in the telling." In this, the first volume in Ethan Mordden's acclaimed trilogy on Manhattan gay life, he introduces a small group of friends-Dennis Savage, Little Kiwi, Carlos, and the narrator, Bud-and chronicles their exploration of the new world of gay life and the new people they are in the process of becoming. In a voice at once ironic, wistful, witty, and profound, Mordden investigates his suspicion that all of gay life is stories and that, somehow or other, all these stories are about love.

From 6 to 89, she is better than ever, and still going strong! With legs like Betty Grable, the will of Joan of Arc, the spirit of a dozen younger performers many years her junior, and tapping feet like Eleanor Powell, Dorothy Dale Kloss is truly an inspiration to young and old. From her early childhood days in Depression-era Chicago and the strict ballet tutelage of Madame Ludwig, to The Cummerford School of Dance and teaching Bob Fosse to tap dance, her career, journey, and survival as a multitalented show business performer and a survivor of cancer, Dorothy Dale Kloss has displayed a life that is spirited, inspirational, uplifting and just plain amazing. From her early days as a headliner at 15 in the famed Empire Room of Chicago's Palmer House, touring throughout the U.S. and South America, appearing at The Strand Theatre in New York, with "Ol' Blue Eyes" watching her from The Paramount across the street, to her accolades on TV, in newspapers and magazines, and in a show where she appeared twice daily, she can tap out rhythms that would mystify dancers 60 years her junior. Oh, and as for Fosse? (Bob that is!) Many have claimed intimate and first-hand knowledge of his early years, but none more accurate and real that Dorothy Hunn (her family name). She grew up on Ashland Avenue; he on Palina just two blocks away. They both were eager and willing dance students at The Cummerford School of Dance where Dorothy, being three years older and a dynamic tap dancer even then, was thrust into the position of "teacher" to the insatiable Fosse. They both shared their considerable talents in local theatricals for such outlets as The Knights of Columbus, and The Elks Club appearing as Dorothy Hunn and The Riff Brothers (a double act with Bob Fosse and Charles Grass). Many years later, as Fosse introduced Dorothy to a touring cast about to open a show at the Shubert Theatre in Chicago, he simply said, "Gang, this is Dorothy Dale, one of the greatest tap dancers you'll ever see"! From being a star performer in THE PALM SPRINGS FOLLIES for 15 years to receiving her very own star on THE PALM SPRINGS WALK OF STARS and starring at THE MAGIC CASTLE in Hollywood, Dorothy continues to inspire, entertain, and encourage everyone she touches to be the best and enjoy every moment of every day.

Dorothy Gale Robinson, an aspiring actress, is the daughter of hippie parents with a passion for old movies. When her father is killed suddenly while sipping a non-fat decaf mocha latte at a local coffee shop, Dorothy's life is turned upside down. After an unconventional dispersing of her father's ashes at the Universal Studios' Psycho House, Dorothy's mother decides to sell all her worldly possessions and join a New Age cult headquartered in Banff, Canada. Of course, Dorothy's twin brother, Jude, is too busy with his law firm to help Dorothy save their mother from the clutches of the sinister cult, so she seeks the aid of her new boyfriend, Lahrs, and a cult-buster, Mervyn O'Roy, who just happens to look like Mickey Rooney. The motley trio venture from Florida to Canada, and through a series of mishaps and misadventures, Dorothy and her fellow rescuers recover Dorothy's mother, and everyone finds a little romance in the Canadian Rockies.

For years, anti-Zionist activists have accused Israel of undermining academic freedom and campus free speech in both Gaza and the West Bank. Not in Kansas Anymore demonstrates conclusively that the major threats to academic freedom come from Palestinians themselves, including from both the Palestinian Authority and from paramilitary and terrorist groups, Hamas most prominent among them. This is the first thoroughly researched and documented study of the status of academic freedom in Gaza and the West Bank.

Whether you are thirty years from retirement or it's just around the corner, here is the only book you'll need about how to get it together and plan a safe, secure, and prosperous retirement. We all know the scene: Dorothy is transported from the flat terrain of Kansas to the bizarre land of Oz. Her cry, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," may be the best line to describe how people feel about the retirement landscape. It’s one teeming with challenges, from the impact of corporate downsizing on individuals to battered 401(k)s, precarious Social Security, and cuts in pensions and health care benefits for retirees. Many people are intimidated and delay thinking about retirement. That’s a mistake. We're Not in Kansas Anymore is the only guide you need to learn how to deal with the Oz-like reality that is retirement planning today. Walter Updegrave shows how to cut through the clutter, assess your finances, and become your own personal pension manager. • Get real about retirement. Neither your employer nor the government will adequately feather your retirement nest. You're on your own. Only you can take action and responsibility for your life after work. Walter Updegrave shows how to start now. • Develop a simple, direct, empowering retirement plan. Cut through the alphanumeric soup of 401(k)s, IRAs, Keoghs, and SEPs, get a grip, and execute a personal plan that makes sense given your circumstances. • Create a realistic investing strategy and get the most out of your 401(k) and other retirement accounts. • Ensure that your money lasts a lifetime. The Tin Man wanted to experience life with passion and emotion. Likewise, you'll improve your chances of creating the kind of retirement you want if you bring some passion and emotion into your retirement plan and then save enough to make it a reality. The Scarecrow thought his life would be better if he "only had a brain." It was the Scarecrow, however, who came up with the best ideas to get Dorothy out of her jams. Similarly, Updegrave shows that any reasonably intelligent person can execute a successful retirement plan and, like the Cowardly Lion, show some courage by having the discipline, willpower, and conviction to follow it through. We're Not in Kansas Anymore is the best, most thorough, and most empowering retirement guide in print today. Don't leave Kansas--or anywhere else for that matter--without it.