2008: What Really Happened By Todd Sheets

2008: What Really Happened

Understanding the Great Financial Crisis

By Todd Sheets

The Presidential election resurfaced issues related to housing affordability, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the Federal Reserve, all of which can be traced back to the 2008 financial crisis. And yet, over 15 years later, the American people still lack an understanding of what caused this nearly catastrophic event. In his new book, 2008: What Really Happened, financial expert, Todd Sheets presents extensive original research that unveils what triggered the sudden and historic upsurge in home prices in 1998, the critical mistake that caused prices to accelerate so dangerously in the early 2000s, and how the housing bubble then led to the financial crisis.

Mr. Sheets also presents objective measures that help explain why some institutions survived the crisis and others didn’t, and details precisely when and why the initially stressed, but not panicked, financial markets went into a tailspin. In addition, the book reveals the key policy responses that finally brought the Great Financial Crisis to an end. 

In 2008: What Really Happened, you’ll learn about:

·    What Americans and the new Trump administration can learn from the Financial Crisis and how to apply these lessons to today’s key issues, including Trump’s “unfinished business” with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac;

·    The critical mistake made by the Federal Reserve that blew the bubble to such dangerous proportions;

·    The critical measure that shows why some institutions survived and others failed during the crisis;

·    The role played by the long history of government bailouts that frustrated so many and led to the Occupy Wall Street movement;

·    How the Financial Crisis fits into a debate over the proper role of government in the economy that dates back to the founding of the country; and

·    What investors, executives, board members and policymakers can do to protect themselves from and prevent another crisis.

In addition to debunking many myths, Mr. Sheets presents compelling histories of the people, institutions and timeless issues involved. He also sets forth measures that homeowners, investors, executives, board members and policymakers can take to protect themselves, our financial institutions, and the system as a whole from a repeat. 2008: What Really Happened is must reading for all those who want to truly understand the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Todd Sheets graduated with honors from the University of Iowa and won the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells award on the 1981 CPA exam before embarking on a career in investment banking. In the late 1980s, he initiated and led Raymond James Financial’s Recovering Markets Program that bought undervalued apartment properties in distressed markets; all of these properties were later sold at a profit to the firm’s investors. In the early 1990s, he founded and served as Managing Director for Raymond James’s highly regarded public real estate investment banking practice before retiring to devote himself to long-held interests in investing, writing, and economic history.

Fentanyl: Death Incorporated documentary

Fentanyl: Death Incorporated

The Most Comprehensive Documentary Ever Produced on the Fentanyl Crisis

By Senior Producer Dr. Robert Marbut

& Director/Editor Stephen Wollwerth

Fentanyl: Death Incorporated is a compelling documentary film that delves into the multifaceted aspects of the dangerous drug, Fentanyl, featuring insights from leading experts in international and domestic supply chains, law enforcement, medicine, harm reduction, and more. Producer, Dr. Robert Marbut and Director Stephen Wollwerth's documentary explores the devastating Fentanyl crisis, now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45.

Through interviews with law enforcement, medical professionals, policymakers and families impacted by the epidemic, the film reveals the unprecedented danger of this synthetic opioid - 100 times more potent than morphine - and its role in the rapid increase of overdose deaths in the U.S. Blending investigative journalism with deeply personal stories, Fentanyl: Death Incorporated paints a sobering picture of how the crisis is affecting communities, national public health and global stability, giving insight and expertise on one of the most pressing public health issues of our time and the urgent need for effective solutions.

In Fentanyl: Death Incorporated you'll learn:

·    The leading cause of death of Americans in the United States is Fentanyl overdose in 18-45-year-olds.

·    Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

·    2 mg. of Fentanyl (about 1/15th of a grain of rice) is considered a potentially lethal dose.

·    Fentanyl equaling 3 grains of salt can kill a person.

·    One kilogram (35.3 ounces – equal to the weight of about one quart of milk) of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

·    Fentanyl overdose was the cause of death to Prince, Tom Petty, Lil Peep, Luke Bell and Angus Cloud.

·    Fentanyl overdose was the main killer of 172 people in the Moscow Dubrovka Theater hostage taking in 2002.

·    84,181 deaths due to Fentanyl in the USA, equates to one Boeing 737-900 crashing every day of the year, 7-days a week, 365 days a year.

·    Most Fentanyl subject matter experts think that Fentanyl deaths are undercounted because of poor testing protocols, lack of testing and miss characterization of polysubstance overdose deaths. 

Fentanyl: Death Incorporated exposes the chilling reality of the Fentanyl epidemic and brings together a diverse group of experts, including international intelligence operators, law enforcement officers, anesthesiologists, doctors, policymakers, investigative journalists, treatment and recovery specialists, and affected families. It examines the rapid increase in Fentanyl-related deaths, the fastest in U.S. history, and the stark contrast between Fentanyl's impact in the U.S. and other countries. The documentary highlights the existential threat posed by the Fentanyl crisis to national and global stability, and the profound impact on families, communities, and society.

The film also provides an in-depth understanding of Fentanyl, including how it is used, its effects on the body, and its various forms and derivatives. It explores the shift from traditional opioids to synthetic alternatives, and the roles of China, Mexico, and Canada in the international drug trade. Additionally, Fentanyl: Death Incorporated evaluates current harm reduction strategies and the urgent need for effective solutions, while proposing strategies for addressing the crisis and mitigating its effects.

U.S. citizens are the world’s top consumers of illicit synthetic Fentanyl that is often laced with other illicit drugs, including horse tranquilizers. The skyrocketing addiction and deaths make our country the epicenter for multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise, with the highest death rate in the world. With its mass production, easy transport through country borders, and ease of use and procurement, Fentanyl is killing hundreds of thousands per year.

Fentanyl has become the deadliest illicit drug ever invented on planet earth causing local hospitals, governments and law enforcement agencies to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of this crisis. Medical experts urge the public to avoid purchasing any kind of drugs off the street, where more than 60% of all illicit drugs are laced with Fentanyl, primarily due to batch mixing and cross-contamination.

ABOUT Dr. Robert Marbut, Fentanyl National Expert / Former White House Homelessness Czar / Senior Fellow Discovery Institute: Dr. Marbut is a Fentanyl expert who has worked on issues of illicit drugs, such as Fentanyl, and homelessness for four decades: first as chief of staff to San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, then as a White House Fellow to President H.W. Bush, later as a San Antonio City Councilperson/ Mayor-Pro-Tem and as the Founding President & CEO of Haven for Hope for five years. He has also worked in three different USA Presidential Administrations, including serving as the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, often called the "Federal Homelessness Czar." [more…]

AVAILABLE ON STREAMING PLATFORMS JANUARY 2025

Visit the website HERE #FentanylMovie

Watch the Trailer HERE

A Short History of Relations Between Peoples by Prof. John M. Ellis

A Short History of Relations Between Peoples

How the World Began to Move Beyond Tribalism

By Professor John M. Ellis

Distinguished Professor John M. Ellis’s new book, A SHORT HISTORY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN PEOPLES explains how the tribal attitudes that different peoples and nations had toward each other 500 years ago have undergone a profound and positive change, and as he tells that story he demolishes everything that Critical Race Theory (CRT) tries to tell us about matters of race and racism both recently and in the past.

For most of recorded history, neighboring countries, tribes, and peoples everywhere in the world regarded each other with apprehension - when not outright fear and loathing. Tribal or racial attitudes were virtually universal, no one group being much better or worse in this respect than any other - and for good reason given the conditions of life before the modern era. Without any kind of modern travel or communications, most people knew little of what was going on outside the place where they lived, and they tended to fear strangers.

Prof. Ellis explains how a confluence of discoveries, inventions, explorations, as well as social and political changes gave birth to a new attitude, one expressed succinctly in the Latin phrase: gens una sumus - WE ARE ALL ONE PEOPLE. The most crucial finding of the book is that the origin, development, and worldwide spreading of this modern anti-tribalist, anti-racist ideology was almost entirely the work of the British and their north American cousins. They are not the villains of the story, as CRT wants us to believe, but instead its heroes.

The ideology of “We are all one people” has by now become a modern orthodoxy, however inconsistently or even hypocritically it may sometimes be espoused. Ellis tells the story of how the transition happened, setting out the crucial stages in its progress as well as the key events that moved it forward, and identifying the individuals and groups that brought about the eventual dominance of this new outlook. 

In Prof. Ellis’s new book, you’ll therefore learn about:

·    The tribal state of the world before 1500;

·    The beginnings of a new outlook pioneered by the British Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th century;

·    The spread of this outlook, first by means of the British Empire, and then as the British industrial revolution creates a universal modern way of life;

·    The importance of the early spread of literacy in Britain; and

·    CRT’s disastrous ignorance of history, and its identification of the heroes of this story as its villains. 

Ellis’s historical account is a compelling story in its own right, but it is also a useful inoculation against the destructive ideas of today’s race hustlers. In explaining how the historical record makes nonsense of CRT, Ellis’s book amounts to the most fundamental and complete refutation of that pernicious ideology. [more...]

"The ideas that the Left uses to calumny Western civilization - accusing the West of violating equality, tolerance, and human rights - are exclusively the products of Western civilization. Sadly, the Left is getting away with this sleight-of-hand, as the would-be guardians of our civilization hang their heads and proclaim the West guilty as charged."

--Heather Mac Donald, author of When Race Trumps Merit and The War on Cops 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John M. Ellis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of German Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He taught at universities in England, Wales, and Canada before joining UCSC in 1966, serving as dean of the Graduate Division in 1977–86. He is the author of eleven books, including Literature Lost (Yale) and most recently The Breakdown of Higher Education. He founded the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics in 1993 and served as president of the California Association of Scholars from 2007–13, continuing as chairman of its board since then. His articles on education reform have appeared in prominent national publications and he is a frequent guest on TV and radio in America.

The Truth About Kamala By Daniel Greenfield

 

The Truth About Kamala

The Freedom Center's Urgent new eBook about the True History and Motives of the Surprise Democrat Presidential Candidate

By Daniel Greenfield

The David Horowitz Freedom Center has published a vital new digital pamphlet on the true history and motives of the surprise Democrat presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, as she attempts to ascend to the highest office in the nation. The Truth About Kamala, authored by Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Fellow and the Chief Programs Officer at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. It assembles vital information about the Vice President in one place - by following her record, following the money, and above all else, following the truth.

Within a matter of weeks, a major political party ousted its presidential nominee and replaced him with his obscure and unpopular vice president who has refused to define her current positions and recanted most of her past positions and dodged interviews with the press. A mostly unknown presidential candidate was rushed through a secretive process with no public input and no public information beyond campaign press releases and no agenda beyond a vague message of “joy.”

The Truth About Kamala steps into that information vacuum with research, facts and materials, much of it gathered by the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s non-partisan ‘Freedom Center Investigates’ within weeks of her sudden elevation, as well as vital commentary from Front Page Magazine’s past coverage of Kamala and the Biden-Harris administration. [more...]

Read the Preface to the eBook below – and make sure to order it HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Greenfield's original column appears at Front Page Magazine and his blog articles regularly appear at Family Security Matters, the Jewish Press, Times of Israel, Act for America and Right Side News, as well as daily at the Canada Free Press and a number of other outlets. He has a column titled Western Front at Israel National News and his op-eds have also appeared in the New York Sun, the Jewish Press and at FOX Nation. Daniel's latest book is DOMESTIC ENEMIES: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left. 

PLAN RED by Gordon G. Chang

PLAN RED

CHINA’S PROJECT TO DESTROY AMERICA

BY GORDON G. CHANG

Author of CHINA IS GOING TO WAR 

“Xi Jinping wants to shape the world in China’s image, and in his conception of the world there is no place for the United States or even the current international order. Xi believes that he must destroy America to accomplish his objectives. And he has a plan.” --Gordon G. Chang

“I’m saying exactly what you [Chang] say – China is not out for our good.”

--President Donald J. Trump

**CHINA IS PLOTTING TO PLUNGE THE WORLD INTO CONFLICT.

**CHINA HAS A PLAN TO DESTORY AMERICA.

**DOES AMERICA HAVE A PLAN TO DEFEND ITSELF?

In his new book, PLAN RED: China’s Project to Destroy America, first and foremost expert analyst on China Gordon G. Chang warns of the very real and present dangers posed to the United States and the entire world by a Communist China on the march, led by Chinese ruler Xi Jinping. In PLAN RED, you’ll learn:

·    How China is preparing to go to war -- not just “unrestricted war” or political war, but “hot war,” as Americans see in the movies.

·    That China is waging a campaign against the U.S. that excludes nothing and uses every point of contact with society to destroy it, attacking America from the inside.

·    That China is penetrating American society so thoroughly that the Communist Party has been able to kill Americans with impunity.

·    How China turned an in-country China epidemic into a once-in-a-century pandemic -- the first time in history that one nation has attacked all the others.

·    That China is using all Communist Party resources to support criminal activity in the U.S., and Americans are dying as a direct result of those activities.

Chang provides a sobering scenario and strong argument that it is time to take a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook and work to bring down the enemy -- before it is too late for America and the rest of the world. The Chinese Communist Party often talks about “win-win” solutions, but as its actions make clear, it believes there can only be ONE survivor -- either the People’s Republic of China or the United States of America.

“A much-needed wake-up call that China assumes it is open season on Americans abroad and now at home.” --Victor Davis Hanson 

“China is attacking America. Plan Red not only sounds the critical alarm but also makes clear what the U.S. must do to defend freedom.” --Lou Dobbs 

“Lays out in precise detail how China plans to bring down America and rule the world. A wake-up call that we ignore at our peril.” --KT McFarland 

“Nobody outside China’s political orbit understands Beijing’s plans and ambitions better than Gordon Chang.” --Dick Morris 

“Read this book. Before it’s too late.” --Sebastian Gorka

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gordon G. Chang is a columnist at Newsweek, a regular contributor to The Hill, and writes for NEWSMAX. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The American Conservative, Commentary, Barron’s, and The Daily Beast. He is the author of China Is Going to War, The Great U.S.-China Tech War, Losing South Korea, Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World, and The Coming Collapse of China. 

Muhammad: A Critical Biography by Robert Spencer

Muhammad: A Critical Biography

What can we really know about him?

By Robert Spencer

We know a great deal about Muhammad - or so it seems. Islamic tradition contains an astonishing wealth of information about the founding figure of the Islamic faith, and most historians take for granted that this material is generally reliable. In his latest book, Muhammad: A Critical Biography, historian and Islamic scholar Robert Spencer takes a detailed look at the Islamic traditions regarding Muhammad and lays bare their contradictions, inconsistences, and incoherence.

Robert Spencer goes where establishment historians fear to tread, taking a deep dive into the Islamic traditions regarding Muhammad and revealing how much actual variation there is in what is generally presented as a unified portrait of the prophet of Islam.

In Muhammad: A Critical Biography, you’ll learn:

·    The story of Muhammad in Islamic tradition is not one of the noble founders of a great religion; Islamic tradition depicts him as a warlord, a murderer, a rapist, a thief, and even worse.

·    Much of the behavior of Islamic terrorists goes back to their imitating the example of Muhammad, who did the kinds of things they do today and is revered in the Qur'an as the "excellent example" (33:21); if he were alive today, he'd be the leader of ISIS.

·    Because terrorism is justified by Muhammad's example, it can't be eradicated from Islam.

·    Most of the stories about Muhammad are contradicted by other stories in Islamic tradition. Some stories even say he originally had a different name and was visited not by Gabriel, but by another angel. They're more legend than fact and were created for political purposes.

·    Even if the stories about Muhammad are not historically accurate, it's important for us to know what they say, as Islamic terrorists imitate what they think Muhammad did every day. The stories of his life have caused more destruction than the stories of anyone else's life throughout history, whether they're fact or fiction.

Robert Spencer shows that there is no agreement in the earliest Islamic sources about the most fundamental details of this towering figure’s life. There are conflicting accounts of key details of his life, including the circumstances and contents of the first revelation he claimed to have received from Allah; the year of his birth; the length of his prophetic career; the name of the angel who supposedly appeared to him; and even his own name. 

In Muhammad: A Critical Biography, Spencer continues the groundbreaking research he began in The Truth About Muhammad and Did Muhammad Exist? exposing the shocking reality of how shaky Islam’s foundations really are. He meticulously explains why competing traditions may have been invented and definitively demonstrates that, contrary to the complacency of establishment historians, the Muhammad of Islam is more legend than history, more fable than fact.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is the author of twenty-eight books, including bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth About Muhammad, The History of Jihad, and The Critical Qur’an. Spencer has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the FBI, the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, and the U.S. intelligence community. He is a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy and is a regular columnist for PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine.

One Jewish State by David Friedman

ONE JEWISH STATE

THE LAST, BEST HOPE TO RESOLVE THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

By DAVID FRIEDMAN

FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL

&

Bestselling Author of SLEDGEHAMMER

"The Protector of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps."

--Psalm 121, Verse 4

The terrorist massacre committed by Hamas against innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023, brought great trauma to the State of Israel. But it also has brought great clarity, says David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, in his new book, ONE JEWISH STATE: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which was released on September 3rd.

Amb. Friedman says, "It is this clarity that tells us we must try something NEW. It is this clarity that tells us Israel must plan its future on its own and not obsess about what others think. And it is this clarity that compels us to go back to basics - to return to the biblical values and divine covenants that unite the Jewish people."

It is this clarity that has inspired the former U.S. ambassador to Israel and bestselling author of Sledgehammer, to write and lead a new movement: ONE JEWISH STATE: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

One of the leading architects of the historic Abraham Accords, David Friedman explains why in these turbulent and dangerous times, the simple phrase of three words - ONE JEWISH STATE - must be the guideline for Israel and the world's collective future.

Each word of ONE JEWISH STATE is deeply instilled with meaning:

ONE: There is only ONE country earmarked for the Jewish people... ONE. There are 49 Muslim countries, and many Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu countries, but only ONE Jewish State.

JEWISH: This Jewish State is exactly that - JEWISH. It is the place where Jewish history was born, where Jewish values were created, and where more Jews live than anywhere else. It is situated on the land given to the Jewish people by God, in the words of the Holy Bible.

STATE: Israel is not just a place; it is a country with sovereignty over its land and responsibility for its inhabitants. Today that sovereignty has been called into question by the nations of the world and even by some within Israel. But Israel cannot be Jewish without sovereignty over the places that make it Jewish.

Amb. Friedman proposes a goal and a path, with God's help, for Israel to have complete sovereignty over all its biblical homeland - in a just manner that brings peace, prosperity, and essential human dignity to ALL of Israel's inhabitants. In ONE JEWISH STATE, he will explore:

·    The History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

·    The true history of Jews and Muslims in the disputed territories;

·    Past, present, and future legal issues;

·    Prior proposals, peace plans, and so-called "solutions," and why they ALL failed;

·    Why Israel has succeeded as a regional superpower while its Arab neighbors have failed;

·    Palestinian tribalism and the creation of a nationalist movement;

·    Religious and biblical issues, conflict, and agreement;

·    Palestinian and Muslim leaders and goals for their people;

·    Geographic and security considerations for all;

·    Hamas and the Gaza strip - insoluble for now; and

·    American evangelicals and their influence.

Ambassador Friedman's book persuasively explains the many reasons why in this massive world there MUST remain room for ONE JEWISH STATE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Friedman served as the United States ambassador to Israel from 2017 to 2021. Under his leadership, the United States made unprecedented and historic diplomatic advances, including moving its Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Ambassador Friedman was also one of the architects of the Abraham Accords. For his efforts, he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and granted the National Security Medal. On numerous occasions, The Jerusalem Post has named Ambassador Friedman one of the 50 most-influential Jews in the world - he rose to number 2 in 2019 and number 1 in 2020. In 2021, The New York Times described him "as one of America’s most-influential envoys" and someone "who drove the radical overhaul of White House policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Ambassador Friedman is the bestselling author of Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East, and the executive producer and co-star, with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of Route 60: The Biblical Highway, a film about Judea and Samaria. In 2021, he launched the Friedman Center for Peace through Strength which has recently launched a project that bears the name of his book: One Jewish State.