In The People's House, a modern-day mystery that showcases the all-too-real corruption of the current American political system, David Pepper spins an engrossing tale filled with betrayal, intrigue, and a heavy-handed dose of governmental conspiracy.

The hero of The People's House is Jack Sharpe, a middle-aged reporter for the newspaper the Vindicator, who, when he is first introduced, is stuck in a rut. Growing up in a political family, Sharpe not only writes the political, but follows politics closely, and thus is shocked to learn that Lee Kelly, the "never lose" Congressman, has lost the most recent election. And he is even more stunned to hear that shortly after Kelly's election defeat, that he is killed in a car accident. But perhaps the most surprising revelation of all: right before he died, Kelly left a voicemail on Sharpe's cell phone.

It's this voicemail that first allows Sharpe to discover a voting fraud scandal that is skillfully planned and global in scale. Through a combination of information left via the voicemail and meticulous research of his own, Sharpe comes across a company called Abacus, which mass manufactures voting machines. More careful research leads Sharpe to discover that Abacus voting machines were used in dozens of counties in Ohio that, in the previous election, voted in candidates who were not expected to win.

In alternating chapters, the reader meets the powerful, deadly, and cunning Russian energy baron Oleg Kazarov, whose combination of money and fear tactics has allowed him to buy his way into American politics. Through his dubious Energy 2020 initiative-an environmental effort reminiscent of the real life Keystone XL Pipeline-Kazarov first ensnares Washington lobbyist Ariens, and later, after he has Ariens killed for disobeying his wishes, Ariens's even more sinister friend, House Majority leader Stanton. A true embodiment of the sleazy, womanizing politician, Stanton employs a potent mixture of power, intimidation, and favor to get what he wants.

But it is Stanton's exploitation of his junior employee Joanie Simpson that first leads Sharpe to him. When Joanie is mysteriously killed, Sharpe is able to put together all of the puzzle pieces, and connect the treacherous triangle of Kazarov, Stanton, and Abacus. In a heart-pounding race to the end that includes kidnapping and humiliation on live television, Sharpe emerges as a deserving hero in uncovering the Watergate of the new millennium.

While at times unapologetically pessimistic in regards to American politics, David Pepper's The People's House is ultimately an engaging and enjoyable read for any mystery fan or reader of books about modern American politics.

With today's falling dollar it seems that America is losing the trade war. Is that a conspiracy? Heck yes! It's a conspiracy of crippled bureaucrats forcing the nation to use the ancient measurement system ascending from the days of the British Empire.

How many pounds-per-square-inches are there in a typical 2-liter car engine? Why pay in dollars-per-gallon and not using the more logical dollars-per-liter or shillings-per-gallon?

The biggest problem with imperial system is its lack of consistency. Do you know how many different versions of a pound are floating around? Don't be surprised: it's over a dozen! In England they used to measure distance in miles and yards, while the Americans are accustomed to miles and feet. Can you easily and precisely convert one into another on the road while driving a car? Can you even tell how many yards and how many feet a mile has? And don't forget there's more than a single version of a mile out there! How many yards are there in a square that contains an acre? At the same time, there's only one kilogram and only one meter.

So shall we convert to metric, or do we keep that quirky way called imperial for the fun of it? The Brits themselves had switched to metric long ago, the US being more imperial than the ex-empire itself. Shall we pull the trigger and vote for the meters and kilograms instead of miles and pounds?

Not necessarily. I have a better suggestion. There is another widely used system that we shall all switch to instead of using the imperial or decimal measures. We're all well familiar with that system right now, and have been using it since the beginning of time. I'm talking about the system that is based on the power of twelve, also referred as duodecimal. Sounds unfamiliar? Not at all! We've got a power of twelve in geometry: there're 360 ​​or 12×30 degrees in a circle. We have 60 seconds in a minute, which is 12×5, and 60 minutes in an hour. How many months in a year? A dozen. There are 24 hours in a day, or 12×2. There're 12 inches in a foot and 5280 feet in a mile, which is 12×440. We even count chicken and eggs by the dozen!

Why switching to duodecimal? It's more natural for a human being. It's more convenient to use as it can be easily and naturally divided by two and by three. Finally, our ancestors were using it for centuries with great success. Let's all switch immediately!

AP McGrath successfully unites the most important elements of civilization between the covers of A Burning in the Darkness . The pages of the book offer a tasteful blend of crime and romance under the seal of Catholic faith.

At a large international airport, a small confessional room is filled with secrets. Father Michael Kieh, who is responsible with hearing these burdens and offering forgiveness when it is due, finds himself lured into an intricate web of conspiracy. The spiders forming the web are important men of the society and their victims are whoever endangers their status or brilliant future. Ruthless predators, they hunt under the cover of law and bureaucracy, using the system to their own advantage.

Basically, two institutions – the church and the justice system – test their influence over one another and people. Each offers a certain set of tools which can serve the purpose given by the one who wields these. Father Kieh becomes the keeper of some critical information, but due to the fact that it was obtained via confession, he is forced to test the limits of church regulation and his own morality.

To make things even more complicated, a love story also develops and becomes inseparable from the investigation. Kieh meets a woman who is a major player in this power game. However, an old love, actually his first love, also returns in his life. Each woman being a manifestation of this many faced God, they come to offer redemption.

The chapters narrating the present are separated by episodes from the past, which gradually shed more light on the characters and their motivational drive. Father Kieh was molded mostly by his Liberian years, we get glimpses into his childhood and the trauma of war. But amidst the heavy darkness of sorrow he discovers the power of faith.

A dense book with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked until the very last page, A Burning in the Darkness will prove to be difficult to put down. The main focus of AP McGrath falls on action and character development, which makes his work an easy read. However, while the potential is there for the book to delve deep into the reader's psyche, for some reason it falls short, merely caressing it. There seems to be an invisible cold barrier keeping the reader at a safe distance from the burning of the darkness.

In clinical practice, the number of women easily identifiable as thyroid deficient has grown to epidemic proportions. Many have gone to their Doctors, have had the standard test; are re-assured they are fine, but are not. It seems the test is unreliable. Dr. David Brownstein in his book; “Iodine why you need it, why you can’t live without it”, quotes from a NHAES study showing iodine levels in the USA have dropped by 50% over the thirty years spanning from 1970 until 2000. Iodine plays a key role in thyroid health. More frighteningly he also points out low iodine levels in pregnant women have increased by 690%. Something is wrong, and we need to ask what!

In spite of massive spending on health care; money that mostly goes on pharmaceutical products, overall health is declining. True, acute disease has lessened significantly, but chronic illness has risen. Maybe, many of the things we are told that are beneficial for us, are not! As a population, we have been misinformed, but why? Most people have never heard of the Georgia Guidestones. The structure, also known as “The American Stonehenge”, is located in Elberton, Georgia. The center cluster of the stones was erected in 1980; the site is dedicated to, “The Age of Reason”. On the tablets are written ten guidelines in eight different languages. The first principle states: “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” Today, the world’s population is a little over seven billion; to reach half a billion requires culling six and a half billion! Conspiracy theorists tell you this is the intention of the Illuminati or New World Order. As I consider the drastic consequences of poor health, it seems that the conspiracy theorists might be right after all!

We were told the thyroid problem was solved by the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s. Women, who lived remote from iodine rich soil, usually found near the life-giving influence of the sea, suffered thyroid enlargement. As the deficient gland had to overwork it increased in size producing a strangulating goiter. They found adding a 5% potassium iodine solution to table salt, gave just enough iodine to prevent goiters growing, but not enough to remedy more subtle thyroid dysfunctions. Sadly, the refining also removed most of the minerals in sea salt. Table salt is now found widely around the world. Seventy-nine percent of households in Thailand, for example, use it.

Until 1950 underactive thyroid was treated with iodine supplementation. No, this is not the product you buy in the pharmacy to dab on wounds! This form is poisonous because it contains alcohol which must never be ingested. Instead, Iodine and its relative iodide are available in liquid and tablet variety. The popularity of iodine, hit a brick wall when the “Wolff-Chaikoff” study emerged from the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. It flew in the face of contemporary thinking; stating any iodine intake in excess of 2 mgs was excessive and potentially harmful. They claimed greater amounts caused hypothyroidism. This was not a scientific fact because hormone levels were never measured to support the argument. This warning then entered the annals of medical knowledge. So Doctors stopped prescribing iodine for thyroid conditions.

The other successful treatment option is by means of protomorphogens this translates as a substance taken from an animal source, normally porcine. Armor Labs have been producing their animal derived extract from as early as the 1930s. When the pharmaceutical companies started producing synthetic thyroid extract in the late 1950s, they swamped the market. Physicians stopped prescribing the natural thyroid extract: now it is pretty difficult to find.

At the same time, bromide ingestion has grown tremendously. Bromide is an iodine antagonist. It is to be found in soft drinks, white bread, toothpaste, fluoridated drinking water, beauty products and hair dyes. Up until the 1970s potassium iodide was added to bread, thanks to Wolff-Chaikoff the practice ceased; it was replaced by potassium bromide. No wonder the thyroid problem has blown up like a balloon. Oh, I haven’t mentioned increased radiation levels either! There is also the question of fluoride and chlorine added to drinking water. These halogens are iodine antagonists, too!

In view of all of this information, everybody needs to increase iodine intake. Eating Wakame seaweed is an excellent remedy, as is eating mussels and seafood. But you require quite a lot as a recommended daily dose to prevent low thyroid and excessive radiation, would be in the region of 30mg. If you have any doubts, it is never recommended to self-prescribe but instead go and see your health care practitioner who will check the problem out for you.

According to the author, the United States Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to ban and burn this book.

Myself, reading this book gave me the same feeling I get when I read certain conspiracy theories. That is, sure things are worse than they could be, but is it all really so deliberate. Is it really THIS bad?

As long as I’ve been reading about nutrition and alternative medicine — for over 35 years starting with the books of Adele Davis and PREVENTION magazine when it was still an alternative publication you could find only in health food stores — I’ve read warnings of things the FDA was doing to restrict, limit and deny the right of Americans to alternative medicine.

And for the past thirty-five years I’ve read about the damage that prescription drugs could do to patients taking them.

I’ve always unconsciously assumed the FDA and so many doctors were against vitamins because they really believed that conventional methods were more effective.

When you’re a trained carpenter, everything looks like a nail that needs to be hammered in. The medical profession, including the FDA and pharmaceutical companies, was trained to see all health problems as a hammer to nail in with drugs and surgery.

According to Trudeau I’ve been naive — it’s all a deliberate conspiracy. The medical profession knows that alternative health works. That’s why they’re against it.

If we all did what Trudeau advocates we’d never get sick and the medical professional and pharmaceutical companies would stop making so much money.

And as he continually repeats, “It’s all about the money.”

So ordinary readers are left in a quandary. We’re not in the upper echelons of the medical profession. Are politicians, Big Pharma execs and the AMA all colluding to keep us sick and dying young?

If politicians really believe in alternative health, why do so many of them take conventional drugs and get surgery? Why does former Vice-President Cheney wear a pacemaker? Why did former President Clinton have a quadruple bypass surgery? Why didn’t they just do what Trudeau advocates?

Could it be because most people, even politicians and doctors, want a simple easy solution? They don’t want to radically alter their diets, do extensive cleanses and exercise regularly?

This book certainly demonstrates the FDA makes mistakes, and ones that have cost many lives.

Unfortunately, Trudeau does too, and thereby undercuts his credibility.

For one thing, he repeats the old bromide that animals in the wild don’t get sick. That’s simply not true. We know of many animal diseases. For example, every species of animal on the planet from bacteria on up has a pox virus that can kill it.

Animals in the wild don’t often die of disease, because when they grow weak they’re easy pickings for predators.

Trudeau also cavalierly dismisses infectious diseases as something people would not get if we kept our immune systems strong through proper diet and exercise. True to a degree, but even strong immune systems can succumb to a massive number of organisms. He is against chlorine and fluoride added to public water supplies — does he think his immune system could fight off cholera if he drank water infected with human waste?

He continually says that all nonprescription and nonprescription drugs are unhealthy and don’t take them. But he never explains why they’re always bad. I actually agree with him to a large extent. I believe Americans take far too many of both. However, when I was coughing my lungs out with pneumonia last year I believed that the risk of an antibiotic was less than the risk of the pneumonia. And I knew to eat yogurt to encourage regrowth of favorable bacteria in my intestines.

This is not a good introduction to alternative medicine for the average reader. I was overwhelmed and I’ve read a lot in the field. He mentions many things that need entire books to explain them. To his credit, he does refer you to those sources for further investigation.

This is worthwhile reading for someone who’s already experienced in some areas of alternative medicine and wants to see the big picture. Check out the books Trudeau mentions and see what you think. I believe they’re a mix of invaluable advice and hocus pocus.

That’s one big problem here. Trudeau seems to believe all the alternative health books he reads.

And oh yes, he angers many readers by plugging his membership website which contains the top secret information that the FDA wouldn’t allow him to put into this book.

True? Or just a marketing ploy to make money? I don’t know.

OK, the first thing to remember is that Google AdWords and Google Search are two completely separate entities, they are just displayed on the same search page when you make a search.

Many times you here “I removed Google AdWords and lost all my rankings” with people touting conspiracy theories on how Google makes them keep paying for AdWords otherwise they will lose their organic rankings. This is complete nonsense however!. Read Google’s official line on this subject.

Just so you sleep well at night I would like you to know that there is no big Google AdWords conspiracy and anything that happens to your web sites rank in the organic listings is completely separate and unaffected by Google AdWords .

Google Organic search uses the search engine spider Googlebot. Google AdWords uses the search engine spider Google Mediapartners. Just check your server logs and you will probably see both at one time or another.

Google AdWords uses a completely different ranking algorithm and pricing model to rank Ads than the Organic search uses. Google AdWords uses something called Ad Rank which is based on a quality score and a cost per click value.

Another interesting fact is that you can have an AdWords account without your site being indexed in the Organic search. Surely this fact alone should convince people the two are not related.

So, you can rest safe in the knowledge that your Google AdWords (or AdSense for that matter) account has no effect positive or negative on your Organic Google search results.

When writing Science Fiction it behooves the writer to look at past historical records of ancient civilization, tales, writings and all the conspiracy theories of the ages. Now then there are many Conspiracy Theories out there, all of which use fear. Some of the “Fear” controls used to control civilizations are well known. There are also many events, which seem real at the time or are actual very real threats.

These fears include such things as; Y2K, 9-11, Nuclear War, Comet Impact, Bird Flu, International Terrorism, Domino Effect, etc. And these are a good place to start. If you have been observing present period human societies and civilizations you have seen these fears, which keep coming up every 10-years or so you may start to get rather cynical. You may start to believe these fears are incited merely, as ways to control the masses and the powers simply want more control and this “fear factor” is enabling those folks more power.

One cannot deny the appetite of human civilizations for sound and fury, as they need to bite into something to improve their life experience and give it meaning (innate characteristic).

When writing Sci Fi, one would want to use such conspiracy theory fears to set up a “what if…” scenario and then push it into the future, as they design a probable or possible future using that line of thought. It makes for a good movie script, Novel or even a good selling computer game. Of course, then you have set up the battle, which must ensure and the characters on each side, which must fight it. Sci Fi Novelists must consider that the reader is looking to adopt a character in the work to side with. Therefore in such a futuristic battle you may wish to consider the individual stars and the antagonists. If you consider the battles in the movie; “ANTS” or even “Rocky” it is about the individual, “YOU” vs “The World” or in this case the politically correct establishment of the “Borg” or “Gatica” and/or the Bad Guys with the death ray, such as George Lucas’s Darth Vader and Dark Side or Gene Roddenbury’s “Klingons.” Think on this in 2006.

People can't believe I did it, but I did. I wrote my first novel, The League, in about 30 days. I never spent more than two hours on any given day, unless I wrote then went back to edit. I also found and signed with a publisher in one month (see my article, Whatever It Is, Publish It Now, for details on this). Friends, family, and colleagues are fascinated when I tell them this. It's not possible, they say. Then, I enlighten them.

The secret to writing a novel is quite simple. You don't have to be John Grisham or Danielle Steel, either. In fact, you really need basic writing competence. Although I have years of experience in writing (I was a journalist for three years), I don't consider myself on the level of the aforementioned novelists, in terms of style and eloquence. What I am is a storyteller. I look for ideas that are unique. I look for a niche. Take Grisham, for example. His niche is courtroom drama. He uses his experience as a lawyer, takes a new angle on a case, and turns it into some type of conspiracy that no one has considered.

Now, I don't know how long it takes people like Grisham and Steel to pen their stories, but they too must be fairly quick, because they're turning out novels at a crazy pace. Don't forget, the publishing process is usually six months to a year. So, they obviously write a novel or two, while a prior work is being published and marketed. So, how do I churn out my own work so fast, you might ask? As I said, it's actually quite simple. I start at the end and work my way backwards.

I get an idea in my head of how the story will end, and I outline a way to get there. This usually takes a few days, maybe 10 hours total. Then, I sit down at my computer and start typing. I let the words flow, rarely stopping, until about two hours have passed. Knowing where I have to wind up helps me develop my characters and conflicts along the way. I usually write the story in about 25 days and spend five days or so editing and revising. There you have it – a novel in 30 days.

You can do it too. All you need is the idea. Figure out your ending, sit down, and start typing. Learn more about The League and my other work at http://www.sportsnovels.com .

In the future you’ll be able to vote with your cellular phone or some personal electronic device, but one has to ask if you voting records will be stolen, used against you or manipulated in some way? Perhaps, hacked and used by some voting conspiracy plot. The information about how you vote, who you voted for, and which initiatives you voted against are all somewhat valuable to marketers of products and services.

After all, companies pay huge amounts of money each year collecting data, analyzing the data, and using those demographics to sell more, tap into additional market segments and make a hefty profit in the process. Perhaps, the question is; are Americans ready for voting machines or software controlled voting apparatuses that work like this, or are they too paranoid of such technology right now.

We’ve all heard the rumors about Diebold and watched Hollywood Conspiracy Movies on the subject of voter fraud in elections, and we know from our history that voter fraud does exist, as it is human nature and we often have scoundrels running for office. Still, if your information can be stolen when you vote and your vote stolen too, one has to ask if the American People would ever trust such a system.

Indeed, you do not have to be a conspiracy theorist to see the problem or become paranoid of the potential eventualities and challenges such a system would or will create. It might be time for you to start thinking about this now, before someone dreams up the scheme and launches the technology in real life?

Rune-Mysteries-Oklahoma

The purpose of my Rune Mysteries series is two fold. One to share with my Northern European Kindred the truth that our Viking Ancestors visited the Americas hundreds of years before Columbus was born.

Secondly, that there is a conspiracy of lies headed by the Smithsonian to keep these truths hidden form you. It is not so much an evil conspiracy, as it is a stupid conspiracy. If the truth came out then all of the Archaeological PHD’s would find themselves out of a job. And all of the history books would have to be rewritten. I guess it is easier to lie than rewrite.

Folktales from the past always contain kernels of the truth. The old-timers of Oklahoma, say that once upon a time there were dozens of large Rune stones. Only five have been found so far. Let’s talk about this. You can surf the net and read more on your own. I am only trying to point a finger in the right direction.

THE HEAVENER RUNESTONE

The Heavener Rune stone was found on Poteau Mountain in eastern Oklahoma. It was first thought to be an “Indian Rock.” It was 12 feet high, 10 feet wide and 16 inches thick. Carl f. Kemmerer found the stone while hunting, in 1913. Eight Runic Symbols were etched into the stone. When he reported it , others said, “Oh yes, we saw it, it is an Indian stone.” The head curator of the Department of Archaeology at the Smithsonian Institute said they were indeed Runes. But they were put there by modern day Scandinavians.

But the Runes that were used, came from an era that predates Runes by over 1000 years.

The Poteau Rune stone

In 1967, several school boys discovered a Rune stone. It was a 15 inch stone with several Runic Characters inscribed on it. It was found near the crest of Terry Hill on the outskirts of Poteau, at the foot of Caraval Mountain.

This stone was only 10 miles from the Heavener Rune stone.

The Shawnee Rune stone

This stone was found within the city limits of Shawnee, in central Oklahoma. This 14 inch stone was found by Jim Esstes in 1969. It is reddish in color and weighs 14 pounds. There are five Runes etched on it. It was placed on the Earth either as a land mark or a tombstone. A famous Norse cryptologist, said it was dated 1024 AD. The Smithsonian has nothing to say about these finds. It would rather dig up Egyptian mummies thousands of miles away than dig in their own back yard.

I have just given you a small sketch. There is lots of good information about these three Oklahoma Rune stones on the Net. No sense in clogging up this article with easily attainable facts. Check out the pictures of these Rune stones and see if you can decipher their messages yourself.