'Russia is the motherland of elephants' - this phrase from a Soviet-era anekdot (a peculiar genre of Russian jokes, often political, or obscene, or both) takes the mickey out of historical propaganda. The phrase is symbolic of the somewhat light-hearted approach to history, which is quintessential to this book. This is not an official history but a series of sketches, often humorous, on various aspects of Russian life over the centuries, of people, institutions, natural and political phenomena and local products of interest. The book also offers glimpses of Russia's historical relations with the West, chequered, complex and fraught with chronic mutual misunderstanding.

"CHASING THE ELEPHANT INTO THE BUSH" is an insider's account of how the governing New Patriotic Party lost power in the closest elections in Africa's history. The writer believes that providing an accurate account will begin the process of correcting the rumours, lies and myths that are out there about the 2008 elections in Ghana. Throughout, the book is liberally sprinkled with quotes and historical references that makes it very informative and interesting. He begins with the state of the nation and the governing party as Ghana approached 2008. He then takes the reader through the NPP primary and his own experiences as a losing candidate. There is candid discussion of the rivalries in the campaign that undermined its effectiveness. He takes the reader inside meetings and quotes some of the key players at key moments in the campaign. There is candid discussion of the roles of the media, the security forces and civil society. The identification of issues and their use in the campaign is discussed thoroughly. While his sympathies are never in doubt, he is very objective and acknowledges the mistakes made by the campaign, the government and the party. He credits the NDC Campaign for doing certain things well. Amongst these are the deployment of President Mills and former President Rawlings as well as Vice-President John Mahama. He reveals the roles of key people, including the President, the Presidential candidate and powerful groups, like the "Kyebi Mafia". He offers candid assessments of all the key players. He suggests reasons for the NPP defeat and the way to recapture power. This will be a very significant first cut and reference point for an account of the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.

The continent of Atlantis and Mu-Land, the earliest civilization that disappeared by the great Flood, has never been found, according to my paper presented at an international academic conference in early September 2005: “Mega-tsunami in northeastern Taiwan at least 12,000 years ago”, just to find out the earliest civilization lost by mankind, it can be inferred from ancient cultural relics that these two are one Taiwan Island. Another 6,000 years ago, the explosion Volcano of the Seven-Star Mountain in Taipei lasted for several years, causing Taiwan's ancestors to flee and spread to the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, forming a vast territory of the Austronesian language family. Color version, 18K, 416 Pages, 420 pictures.

Indexes kept up to date with supplements.

Undaunted by hardship, a determined widow, Uridiya, arranges a wife of her choice for her western- educated only son. Little does she know that her son, Jamike, had fallen in love and married a foreigner against her wishes and the expectations of his village. In a show of love, loyalty and commitment he rejects the arranged wife to the disappointment of his mother and the community. Can his defiance succeed against all odds? Set in an Igbo village in Eastern Nigeria from the late 1950's to early 1970's and in the United States in the early 1970's, the author sympathetically handles the powerlessness of the widow in rural African societies and addresses with candor and sensitivity the problems of race, human sexuality, cultural disengagement and the role of love in blurring the "color line." Born in Imo State Nigeria, Ben Igwe was educated in Nigerian and American Universities. He holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. He has taught in Universities in Nigeria and the United States. He is currently Chief of the division of Philosophy, Psychology and Religion in the District of Columbia Public Library in Washington, D.C. He lives with his family in Adelphi, Maryland.

A re-issue of the 1926 classic by James Churchward, The Lost Continent of Mu: Motherland of Men supplemented with fresh research and new material by the author's great-grandson. In the 1920s, James Churchward wrote a series of groundbreaking books about the lost continent of Lemuria which he called the land of Mu. The basic premises are these: • The Garden of Eden was not in Asia, but on a sunken continent in the Pacific Ocean. • The Biblical story of creation came not from the peoples of the Nile, but from this now submerged continent of Mu—the Motherland of Men. • Mu was an advanced civilization of 64 million inhabitants… He obtained the information by living with monks and translating unknown manuscripts. Over the years, his books have come to be considered occult classics. Now his great-grandson, Jack Churchward, has resurrected this valuable work and added his own research. Included: · The Lost Continent · The Land of Man’s Advent on Earth · Egyptian Sacred Volume, Book of the Dead · Symbols of Mu · North American’s Place Among the Ancient Civilizations · The Geological History of Mu · Ancient Religious Conceptions · Ancient Sacred Mysteries, Rites and Ceremonies

This book explores the ways in which modern Hindu identities were constructed in the early nineteenth century. It draws parallels between sixteenth and eventeenth Cecntury Protestantism and the rise of modernity in the West, and the Hindu reformation in the nineteenth century which contributed to the rise of Vedantic Hindu modernity discourse in India. The nineteenth century Hindu modernity, it is argued, sought both individual flourishing and collective emancipation from Western domination. For the first time Hinduism began to be constructed as a religion of sacred texts. In particular, texts belonging to what could be loosely called Vedanta: Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. In this way, the main protagonists of this Vedantist modernity were imitating Western Protestantism, but at the same time also inventing totally novel interpretations of what it meant to be Hindu. The book traces the major ideological paths taken in this cultural-religious reformation from its originator Rammohun Roy up to its last major influence, Rabindranath Tagore. Bringing these two versions of modernity into conversation brings a unique view on the formation of modern Hindu identities. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of religious, Hindu and South Asian studies, as well as religious istory and interreligious dialogue.