Johnny Yesno

There are certain people in life who cannot be denied success, regardless of the conditions of their birth or the circumstances of their upbringing. They just seem to rise to the top of whatever they are doing, somehow defying the odds and using their innate skills as a pathway to success. They also have the ability to utilize the fortuitous circumstances that they find themselves in to their advantage. All in all, such people just seem destined to rise to the top.

This book is about one of these people named Johnny Yesno. While the name Johnny Yesno may not be identifiable among movie buffs, his life is nonetheless worthy of wider recognition. Johnny Yesno went on to star in several movies, most notably the Walt Disney classic King of the Grizzlies; hosted a popular radio program on CBC Radio entitled Our Native Land; and, among other distinctions, was awarded the Order of Canada in 1976.

From Lady Ralston's Kitchen

Lady Carolyne Lederer-Ralston is a creative cook by nature. She rarely uses cookbooks, preferring to develop her own original, no-waste recipes inspired by diverse sources and cultures, particularly European foodstuffs. Documenting her process with meticulous handwritten notes, some dating back decades, she recreates dishes later in her ‘spirit-filled kitchen’. She keeps copious handwritten notes while she cooks so she can return to the notes promptly to recreate the recipe in proper printed form. Some of her original recipes go back to the 1970s, long before “Gourmet” became the buzzword it is today.

A natural multi-tasker, she balanced a demanding full-time career with preparing full homemade meals daily. Planning and organization (mise en place) are vital to her approach, as is a well-stocked pantry. She includes practical hints within her recipes, and readers often say they feel she’s right there with them in the kitchen – a compliment Lady Ralston cherishes.

Challenge Alzheimer

Therese Truninger (1948) worked as an Activating Therapist in an old people’s home when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in December 2004, at the age of 56. Her husband Kaspar (1945) worked as a sales director for an international company. They got married in 1970 and have two adult daughters and six grandchildren.

In August 2005 Kaspar had to quit his job and started to take care of his love as a caring-husband at their long-time home apartment in Augst, Switzerland. He became a house man and took this new challenge as his own responsibility. In December 2010, the Memory Clinic in Basel, Switzerland concluded that home care for Mrs. Truninger was ‘just about tolerable/possible’.

In view of possible alternatives, the couple had already travelled several times to Thailand for longer periods of time and they had consistently had good experiences with the friendly people (the Land of Smiles) and the moderate cost of living. In January 2011, they emigrated from their home country Switzerland to Thailand.

With the help of a competent housekeeper and a most caring caregiver for Therese, they can still live on their own in their private environment.

A Handbook for Improving Student Achievement in Secondary Schools

Democratic values, student achievement, and effective citizenship are intrinsically linked. The research, however, is that students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, have few opportunities to practice democratic citizenship in secondary schools.

Alongside current threats to democracy, this should concern us all: professional learning communities, teacher-leaders, parents, consultants, administrators, school districts, human rights activists, minority leadership, the justice system, local communities, university faculties, state education departments, and citizens in general.

Democratic citizenship is a superordinate goal – a composite of communicative abilities, freedom with responsibility, inclusiveness, career preparation, community mindfulness, evidence-based thinking, collective ownership, distributed leadership, and support for those in need. Student leadership, including school research (their own school and others), not only benefits the school generally, but helps prepare high school students for freedom, responsibilities, and opportunities as democratic citizens.

Such leadership has foundations: student-chosen teacher advisors, daily advisories, collaborative learning expertise, student-led assemblies, self-regulation, leadership credit courses, and virtual/personal connections with student leaders in other schools, districts, and countries.

Expanded contributions are student feedback on teacher performance, student-led (parent-student- teacher) conferences, after-school activities leadership, reciprocal teaching, and participation in school/district decision making. All under the auspices of improved language capability, teacher modeling and encouragement, a learning to learn focus, and gradual release of responsibility.

Endorsements

John Hattie

“There is never a dull moment reading this book. Centred on the principles of democracy, it points to the need for broad participation and thus calls for schools to do more, do better, and do wonderful things to ignite a love of learning. Orchard masterfully outlines seven key theorems to make his case; a compelling roadmap for educators to foster effective learning strategies.”

Professor Emeritus John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate

Michael Fullan

“Jack Orchard’s 'Handbook for Improving Student Achievement in Secondary Schools' is powerful, timely, and an action-packed message for us to get going in transforming secondary schools. Orchard’s Handbook is grounded, urgent, insightful, and deeply practical. Anybody in high schools can act on this agenda. Read this book with others, be collectively inspired, and get down to the excitement and frustrations of engaging in breakthrough change. The good news is that students, teachers (and eventually parents and communities) will be excited to join in and make the long-awaited transformation of secondary schools.”

Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan, OISE/University of Toronto

Around the World Not Counting Days

Having graduated without distinction in 1958 from Fresno State College, 22-year-old John Kessell had no job interviews lined up, no letters of acceptance from grad schools, so the natural course seemed what’s called these days a “gap year.” Why shouldn’t he travel to Australia, his father’s native land, and get to know his Aussie kin?

When these generous Australians refused to let the young American spend any money, he still had so many unspent travelers’ checks that he was able to trade his round-trip Sydney-San Francisco for a one-way Sydney-Gibraltar. Why not go on around the world, not his original plan?

John Kessell had no idea in 1958 what sailing on an ocean liner from San Francisco to Sydney might be like. Those were still the days when people took a boat to get somewhere, not just an over-hyped “cruise” on a floating amusement park. So let’s step back sixty-five years, retrofit our passports, and join John on a boat to somewhere!

It's a Sign

WHAT IF?

What if every coincidence in your life wasn’t random? What if it was the universe whispering in your ear? What if the signs you’ve been ignoring were actually guiding you toward your ultimate purpose?

We’ve all had those moments – events so random they feel almost deliberate. Most of the time, we dismiss them, caught in the noise of our everyday lives. But what if, instead of brushing them off, you stopped? What if you listened – and followed that nudge, the one that felt like the universe was pointing you toward something greater? What if you trusted it, just once?

The author did exactly that. He took a leap of faith, followed the signs, and embarked on a journey that transformed his life. That profound transformation is captured, step by step, in the pages of this book. It’s raw, unflinching, and deeply human.

If you’ve ever felt lost, if you’ve ever questioned your path: this is the sign you’ve been waiting for.

Your life purpose is calling. Will you answer?

Cartel Bands On

The American immigration system is often described as broken, with calls for Congress to completely rewrite the laws. Many believe that foreign gangs are taking over the streets, drug cartels control the border, taxpayers are funding the lives of migrants, and American workers are being replaced by those willing to work for less.

But are these claims true?

Cartel Bands On takes a deep dive into the realities of the American immigration system. Written by a retired Border Patrol Agent, this book combines factual analysis with firsthand experiences from the author's career.

With a clear and accessible approach, it explores the history and laws governing immigration while providing a closer look at what both legal and illegal migrants encounter upon entering the country. Readers are invited to challenge their assumptions and critically assess whether the system is truly broken. If it is, how should it be fixed?

English Language Structure in Context for English Second Language Learners

This book is an A-to-Z guide to English grammar, designed to help learners, especially those whose home language is not English, achieve proficiency.By presenting grammatical concepts in a variety of real-world contexts, this book not only enhances language skills but also encourages self-reflection and personal growth. Each lesson equips learners with fundamental skills, including speaking, writing, listening, reading, and reasoning.Mastering English will be an essential key to unlocking opportunities in various lucrative professions worldwide.

Prooflike Morgan Silver Dollars

Delve into the first exhaustive monograph centered solely on Prooflike Morgan Silver Dollars. Explore date-by-date and mint-by-mint analyses of these unique coins struck between 1878 and 1904 and 1921 across five U.S. mints. Drawing from the most complete collection of Morgan prooflike dollars, including rare varieties, all in mint-state uncirculated condition, this volume enriches your understanding with over 500 high-quality photographs. This is an essential exploration into a captivating facet of numismatics.

Red Warriors: Tushka Homma

History casts a long, bloody shadow. For Native women, violence is a devastating reality; murder rates are ten times the national average, making it the third leading cause of death for young women and girls. This brutal truth haunts the Chickamauga people, whose history includes a forgotten 1777 massacre near Nickajack where women and children were slaughtered. In 2024, the echoes of this past resurface as four Chickamauga women, the Tushka Homma (Red Warriors), find themselves linked by disturbing dreams of the massacre.

Their spiritual journey takes a dark turn when a Cheveyo (Spirit Warrior) calls upon them. This spirit is the restless soul of Pauline Adair Walker, a fellow tribal member murdered in 2017, another victim of the violence plaguing Native women. The Red Warriors must confront this legacy of violence, both past and present, to unmask Pauline’s killer and expose a truth buried for centuries.

The ancestors are watching. The Cheveyo has returned. Justice awaits.

Doketo: The 1960s Story of a Thoroughbred Racehorse

This story is about a thoroughbred racehorse named Doketo, who was owned and trained by the person telling the story. Doketo was a good racehorse, though not exceptional as he might have you believe. However, as the racetrack saying goes, he was better than an empty stall.

Life is like that. Friends and associates may not be exactly what you want, but in a very real sense, they can still be better than an empty stall. Doketo’s eventual owner learned this lesson as a 20-year-old boxer competing in the fiercely contested featherweight division of the 1954 Golden Gloves, where winners qualified for the Pan American Games.

The late veteran boxing judge Billy Oaths believed the young fighter had a strong chance of winning his division. His confidence came from the boxer’s previous bout, a stunning televised victory over a top-ranked U.S. featherweight in the opponent’s hometown just three months earlier. As the young boxer climbed the steps to the ring for his first Golden Gloves match before a large crowd, Billy called out, ‘C’mon, let’s get the ball rolling!’ The boxer, full of confidence, shouted back, ‘Don’t worry, Billy. This won’t last long.’

And it didn’t.

The referee stopped the fight in the first round, awarding a TKO win to the boxer’s opponent. While disappointed, Billy would likely have summed it up with the same racetrack wisdom: his boxer and Doketo were both better than an empty stall.

Unforced Errors: 15 Bad Decisions That Changed American History

Americans often use terms such as “To err is human,” or “nobody’s perfect,” or “we all make mistakes.” Of course, this is true, as it is for all of America’s leaders through the years.

This book is about decisions made in politics or public policy that may be considered unwise; bad decisions that had unintended negative consequences for the decision-maker. This will not include personal decisions like deciding who to marry or whether to get divorced but rather to look at those political and policy decisions that can be considered, at the very least, unwise. Similarly, Kennedy’s decision to visit Dallas in November 1963 led to his death but doesn’t really qualify as a decision of real political or policy calculation. Lincoln going to Ford’s theatre would be in that same category.

Instead, Unforced Errors lists 15 political calculations made by political figures, often at the pinnacle of their own success, which changed American history.