New Releases by Michelle Lynn

Brad and Taylor debate whether or not to overcome the past and give their relationship a second try.

Everyone makes lots of little decisions from the moment they wake up until they sink back into sleep at night. Decisions that have no consequences or expectations. But, what about the rare choices that could change everything? How do you know what is right for you? Happiness is something you have to choose again and again, each day. Michaela Matthews wants that more than anything. Standing in her way is a family pushing her down a specific path and the man she loves preventing her from choosing anything different. When she moves to the city for the next step in her parent''s plan, she starts to figure out what she wants - or more importantly, what she doesn''t want. She thinks she has to leave her old life behind to discover a new one. This throws every choice she has made into question. It isn''t until tragedy strikes that she learns that sometimes there is no choice at all. Sometimes you can have it all. Jason Marks has had the kind of life where things have seemed to just happen to him, no choice involved at all. It''s a struggle for him to keep the past at bay while he tries to move forward. He is no longer the unwanted foster kid. He is a business owner, surrounded by people that love him. But, he isn''t in love. He''s not even sure he believes in it. Not anymore. At least, not until a heartbroken girl falls apart in his arms. It''s enough to make him a believer. Make him a dreamer. Enough to force him to answer that question. Do you give all of yourself to someone who might not choose you in return? Yes. Yes, you do.

This study studied the aspirations and educational theories which shape the programs of religious education in contemporary American congregations. The purpose was to explore how within three congregations in the same locale: a Reform Jewish synagogue, a Presbyterian church, and Jesuit parish, a comparative ethnography of religious educational activities is conducted.

Alzheimer''s Disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease which leads to progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age. During the disease''s progression, various biochemical functions of the brain cells go astray and eventually lead to memory loss. What a lot of people do not realize is the fact this disease goes beyond just losing memory. From my own observation as well as research studies, it has been noticed that Alzheimer''s patients can experience sleep disruption, sundowning, speech decline, apraxia, agnosia, and behavioral changes such as depression and combativeness. As more of these signs and symptoms become evident to me, I conducted a plan as to how people who have loved ones with Alzheimer''s Disease can cope with them and those who experience the disease themselves can learn to improve everyday functions as the disease progresses. This thesis constitutes an awareness of all aspects of Alzheimer''s and a compilation of the best method for treatment and prevention.

Sadie Miller and Brady Carson began their journey together two years ago. Now, after most of their friends have married, it''s finally their turn to say I do. Sadie and her bridezilla nature have made the Miller/Carson wedding the event of the year. The cake, the caterer, and the flowers are all crossed off her list. But she soon realizes she can''t hide the guilt from her actions years before behind the façade of a big wedding. And if she wants her groom waiting at the end of the aisle, she needs to be honest with him.

Following the brutal murder of her sister, Michelle shares her personal experiences in an attempt to help those riding the roller coaster of grief and loss. The story of a Christian family''s journey through the unthinkable, Wind Chimes and Butterflies is intended to bring hope and peace to the hurting, by delivering an up close and personal perspective from someone who knows what it''s like to cry out to God for answers.

ad-dic-tion noun: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something: an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something Leah and Adam have never met. However, they live parallel lives. Lives plagued by addiction. When a tragic, but common demon, surfaces between their siblings, Leah and Adam''s worlds collide, never to be the same again. Adam loses his sister forever. Leah''s brother returns. Both gain a niece, neither knew existed. Now they face an obstacle to raise a niece together while Leah''s brother struggles to free himself from the grip of drug addiction as Adam''s family grieves for the sister and daughter they lost. A commonality is discovered. Deep wounds begin to heal. Lines blur as their lives entwine.

This is a true story about my daughter, Megan, and passing on what was taught to her regarding Gods Holy Name. I feel it will inspire children to evangelize others when they hear Jesus name used improperly and carelessly. Another joyous benefit of this story becoming a published book is that parents will be able to read and explain it to their children helping them to develop a more tangible and deeper understanding of the Second Commandment of God.

This developmentally sound, research-based, practical text speaks directly to preservice elementary mathematics students about the multitude of ways they can help their future students learn to see the power, beauty, necessity, and usefulness of mathematics in the world.Part 1 deals with guiding principles that permeate the text, while Parts 2-11 deal with the specific NCTM Standards for grades K-6. Teaching K-6 Mathematics: *is aligned with the current NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics; *integrates content and methodology; *emphasizes use of technology as a teaching/learning tool; *stresses problem solving; *provides basic information on current research in mathematics education; *focuses on identification of error patterns and analysis; *uses a down-to-earth, friendly writing style that engages the student rather than prescribing what to do; and *includes many activities and exercises, including games, tricks, and amusements that can be used in the classroom to increase student interest in mathematics. Features: *Technology is integral throughout the text. Students are expected to perform Internet searches, investigate new sites appropriate for elementary students, sample new software that could be used in the classroom, and develop ways to blend calculators into the curriculum. *Manipulatives are considered essential for students to learn elementary mathematics concepts. Cuisenaire rods, base 10- blocks, chips, number lines, and geoboards are all part of the manipulative landscape that is created in this text. *Careful attention is given to blending rote work, developmental activities, fun, application, technology, manipulatives, assessment, and planning, so that prospective teachers become accustomed to using varied approaches and decision making as a curriculum is determined. *Tricks, Activities, and Games (TAG) provide a wealth of ideas to attract students to learning mathematics.

Holly and Hunter Harrison might appear to be the perfect couple – but looks can be deceiving.The horrific death of Holly’s parents left her feeling tainted and unworthy. As she longs to come out from under the stain of their sin, she is held back by the constant whisperings in her mind that never fail to remind her of who she is and where she comes from.Hunter cannot forgive his mother’s adultery and vows never to be like his father - blindly accepted the sins of others. Fearful that they will fall into the same trap as his parents, he tries to control every situation, but his jealousy and judgmental attitude only add to Holly’s feeling of unworthiness.As the years pass, Hunter’s anger and mistrust grow, taking their toll on Holly and Hunter’s marriage.When handsome widower, Seth Hargrove, befriends the couple, he urges Hunter to let go of his anger, and reminds Holly she is more than her parents’ sin. Will Seth be the key to reconciling Holly and Hunter and redeeming them from the disastrous path their marriage is on? Or will his friendship only lead to betrayal?

This paper examines the impact of the U.S. tax and financial reporting treatment of foreign earnings on the payouts to shareholders of U.S. multinational companies (MNCs). I find the U.S. tax and financial reporting treatment of foreign earnings weakens the otherwise strong, positive association between foreign earnings and the probability and level of dividend payments, but I do not observe an effect on the probability or level of stock repurchases or on the level of total payout. I also find U.S. MNCs with tax and/or financial reporting incentives to keep their foreign profits reinvested abroad make more extensive use of repurchases than dividends when making distributions to shareholders. This study contributes to our understanding of the impact of the current U.S. worldwide tax system on U.S. MNCs'' real decisions.

Growing up in small-town Belcrest, Maddy Jennings always thought she was destined to be with her childhood sweetheart, Trent Basso. Throughout the complicated road she has traveled with Trent, someone else has had a strong presence in Maddy''s life. Trent''s older brother Gabe has always been someone she could count on, therefore neither of them can be blamed when lines blur from friendship to something more. However, promises made between brothers threaten to ensure that neither of them will have a permanent place in her life. When Maddy returns to her hometown for her brother''s wedding, she is forced to face both Trent and Gabe for the first time in two years. While the two Basso brothers fight to win her heart, she is busy struggling with a past that won''t seem to let her go. Whether she wants to or not, Maddy must decide to either forfeit her own happiness or forever tear a family apart.

A three-part study designed to create environments where people experience growth and support as they engage in the discipleship Journey.

What do you do when the pain of your past leaves you feeling so unworthy, that any hope of a future crumbles right before your eyes?Since Kristina Talbot can remember, she’s tried to earn the love of men in her life, only to be hurt in the process. On the heels of her abusive husband’s death, Kristina Talbot leaves New York and heads to New Mexico to try and get her life headed down a new road – one that doesn''t include a man.Even before she reaches her destination, Nathan McKinley sets up a roadblock to her plan. His charming and gentle personality is no match for her love-starved heart. And when Nathan shows her God in a new light, and how to place her trust in Him and not her circumstances, she begins to hope…When Kristina’s past collides with her present, and tragedy strikes close to Kristina’s heart, her fears and distrust come flooding back, threatening to sweep away her newfound hope. Can Nathan help her hold on to her new relationship with God, or will she allow her dark and troubled past to pluck out the tiny bud of hope that is beginning to blossom within her heart?

Complex water governance systems are considered more effective when they build trust among their stakeholders. State-wide surveys of the general public can provide important insights into how trust influences stakeholders'' perceptions of various water issues. This dissertation aims to identify public perceptions of water governance in two states and to develop an effective methodological approach for measuring these perceptions. To do so, I surveyed address-based random samples of the general public in Nebraska and Washington using web and mail surveys. My first analysis reports findings from an embedded methodological test which explored the effects of sponsorship on survey response. Results from this analysis demonstrated that surveys sponsored by a university located in the same state as sample members achieved significantly higher response rates than out-of-state-sponsored surveys. In some ways, these differences were even more prominent when I requested a web response. Varying sponsorship also produced differences in final samples in terms of political party affiliation and resulted in differences in responses to some water governance questions, but not others. My second analysis examines public perceptions of the legitimacy of different water governance organizations for resolving water conflicts over the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska and the Columbia River in Washington. Results indicated almost half of Washington and Nebraska residents viewed state government organizations as most responsible for resolving these water conflicts. Residents also demonstrated similarities in the ways they legitimized their selections, though certain legitimacy types were better predictors of people''s selections of particular organizations than others. My third analysis assesses the influence of political partisanship on perceptions of drought risk and adaptive capacity to drought at the community- and regional-levels. Results demonstrated larger differences between Democrats and Republicans'' perceptions of drought risk and adaptive capacity in Washington than in Nebraska. Also, while variables measuring several dimensions of trust (e.g., trust in scientists, trust in long-time residents) were important for predicting public perceptions, these variables mattered differently for Republicans and Democrats. Overall, this dissertation deepens our sociological understanding of the role of trust in explaining public perceptions of water governance systems in the United States.

Using this measure, I compared differences in the odds of graduate enrollment and timing of graduate enrollment based on marital status, parental status, and gender. Overall, more women than men enrolled in graduate education, and men enrolled sooner than women. The results showed that being a parent had a negative effect on if and when an individual enrolled in graduate school. Being married also had a negative effect on if and when an individual enrolled in graduate school, with married men experiencing a slightly stronger negative effect than married women. The combined effect of being married and being a parent had the strongest negative effect on graduate enrollment for men and women, but more so for women. By better understanding graduate college choice, institutions can more effectively use resources and improve the opportunities and experiences for graduate students and, specifically, graduate students with families. Minimizing barriers to entry may level the playing field between graduate degree aspirants with families and those without families.

Mikayla Summers had dreamed of the perfect marriage all of her life, but her dreams turned into nightmares as she found herself facing the same demons that tormented her as a child of divorce. Now twice divorced herself and emotionally spent from searching for the reasons why, she finds that the only source of comfort that has truly been there for her was God Almighty. Determined to have it all, despite already having lost it all, she takes a vow to seek Him first and begins her journey from fairytale passion to real love.

About 2500 years ago Daniel, the Hebrew prophet, penned some incredible words. He wrote a history book in reverse, as it were. He was seeing forward through ''history'' in the same way we look back through it. Quite an incredible claim, yet as is demonstrated in this book, a valid one. Regardless of your background or belief system (or lack of), you will be astounded at the perfect marriage of the 45 verses of Daniel 11 and the history of the world. This book is unique in concept and in form and will bring ease and clarity to the study of a difficult subject. It naturally begins at verse one of the chapter, focusing on the historical figure given, and then follows the text to each subsequent point in history. Reference materials are included to make study of the verse text simple.

Abstract: The present study examined napping in the workplace as an invisible stigmatized behavior by exploring work-related consequences to napping in the workplace, as well as possible moderators. The sample consisted of 140 psychology students who worked at least part-time from a large, public Southern California university. Participants responded to two online surveys spaced 3 days apart. In the pretest survey, the researcher assessed participants'' nap habit and work ethic. In the posttest survey, participants first read a scenario of a fictitious worker who either napped or read a magazine during his lunch break. Organizational policy (pro-nap vs. control) was also manipulated in the scenario. Participants were then asked to rate the worker''s employment-related outcomes (i.e., opportunities for promotion, performance evaluation and projected career progress) as well as personality. Hypothesis 1 predicted unfavorable perceptions of the "nap" worker compared with the "awake" worker. Hypothesis 2 predicted a moderating effect of a pro-napping organizational policy. Both of these hypotheses were not supported. Hypothesis 3 and Hypothesis 4 predicted moderating effects of raters'' own nap habit and work ethic, respectively. These hypotheses were partially supported, but the results were in the opposite direction of predictions. Therefore, the researcher explored three-way interaction effects between the fictitious worker''s nap status, organizational policy, and raters'' work ethic on two outcomes (perceived activity and interpersonal characteristics). The three-way interactions were supported and mostly consistent with logical expectations (e.g., when there was no clear organizational policy regarding napping, raters with higher work ethic frowned upon a nap worker whereas raters with lower work ethic viewed the napper more positively; however, a pro-nap company practice changed these rating patterns). Implications and potential future research were discussed

This descriptive and analytic study used a secondary data set to describe and compare medication use and agricultural injury experiences between younger (≤54 years old) and older (≥55 years old) farmers; and to examine the relationship between the use of specific classes of medication and reported agricultural injury. The study sample included a total of 316 farmers, age 26 to 80 years old; 103 older farmers (33%), and 210 younger farmers (66%). This cohort of farmers sustained a total of 318 nonfatal agricultural injuries. No statistical difference was found in the mean number of injuries sustained by older and younger farmers. The injury rate for the whole cohort of farmers was 41.95 injuries/100 years; older farmers'' injury rate was 38.35 injuries/100 person-years, while younger farmers'' was 44.01 injuries/100 person-years. Older farmers were more likely to report taking a medication than the younger farmers (OR: 3.08; 95% CI: 1.94-4.92). Older farmers had statistically significant greater odds of reporting the use of several medication classes/subclasses than the younger farmers, including: hormones; cardiac medications such as: ACE inhibitors, blood pressure medications, alpha blockers, and beta blockers, and finally central nervous system medications such as pain medications. Older farmers were also found to report taking more medications than younger farmers. Multiple logistic regression analysis using GEE was used to examine the association between using specific classes of medication and agricultural injury, taking into consideration a myriad of confounding factors. Agricultural work exposures associated with injury included noise (OR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02-1.90), chemical/pesticide use (OR 1.88, 95% CI: 1.39-2.55), heavy lifting (1.55, 95% CI: 1.06-2.28) and raising livestock (OR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08-2.06).

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge MSW II Title IV-E students have of burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue at California State University, Sacramento. This study was an exploratory, quantitative design. A convenience non-probability sample of (N=19) MSW II Title IV-E students was used to conduct the study. The study was presented in a pre-test and post-test format with a workshop provided on the topics before the post-test was administered. Results found that there was minimal knowledge of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue among the participants, with good knowledge of burnout. From the findings in the study, one could state that more knowledge is needed to inform students about burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue prior to entering the child welfare profession. A majority of the participants'' knowledge significantly increased after the implementation of the workshop indicating benefits of the workshop.

The purpose of this research was to examine teachers,'' administrators,'' and parents'' perceptions of music therapy in schools and its effectiveness with various disabilities and age groups. Perceptions of music therapy were examined in relation to participants'': (a) previous knowledge of music therapy and (b) belief that music therapy will be beneficial to students with disabilities and address their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals. Parents, teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals from an elementary and a middle school in the Southeastern United States served as participants. Participants completed a 14-item questionnaire that addressed the three research questions and included items related to participants'' demographic information, previous knowledge of music therapy, perceptions of music therapy effectiveness, and disabilities and age groups with which music therapy is perceived to be effective. Results indicated that 65% of participants had heard of music therapy, and 60% had seen a music therapy group with children. The behavioral approach to music therapy was most familiar to participants but some participants had also heard of neurologic music therapy, psychodynamic music therapy, and Orff-Schulwerk. Eighty-seven percent of the participants agreed that music therapy was beneficial for students with disabilities, and participants felt music therapy was most effective in addressing the emotional and social goals of students with disabilities. Participants'' rank order for disability groups that would benefit from music therapy was: (1) speech/language impairment, (2) specific learning disability, (3) emotional disturbance, and (4) autism. Participants'' rank order for age groups that would benefit from music therapy was: (1) 0-5 years old, (2) 6-10 years old, (3) 11-15 years old, and (4) 16-18 years old. These findings indicate that parents, teachers, and administrators perceive music therapy to be effective with school-age students who have various disabilities, particularly younger children. Additionally, results from this study corroborate previous research regarding the perceived effectiveness of music therapy with other populations. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Bucharest, Romania, 1875: Dr. Lysander Heistad, a young physician known for his aptitude and unwavering compassion, had always put the needs of others before his own. So when he heard the last request of his beloved little sister who lay dying from Typhoid fever, he never intended to fail in fulfi lling it. However, he had also not forseen himself becoming the target of a horrifying monster out for blood. New York, New York, 1995: For more than a century Lysander Heistad''s only companions have been other vampires who shun him for his refusal to drink human blood. Consumed by guilt over the death of his sister so long ago, he had believed himself doomed to an eternity of loneliness and regret. When he meets Anna Harper, a beautiful, lonely, fearless mortal who trusts him implicitly, he can hardly believe his good fortune. But as their newfound friendship grows, so grows his struggle to keep her safe, from not only other vampires, but himself as well.

This thesis will discuss a variety of economic implications that could result from the legalization of marijuana. It will provide background information on marijuana laws and drug policy, including arguments for and against legalization. Next, the thesis will discuss the estimated tax revenue that can be obtained if marijuana were legalized, drawing on reports by Dr. Jeffrey Miron, Dr. Jon Gettman, and Max Chaiken. The following section presents a cost-savings analysis as argued by Dr. Jeffrey Miron. The thesis will then examine other economic issues affected by legalization and determines that there is the possibility for a successful hemp industry in the United States as well as positive economic implications for Mexico. Finally, the thesis concludes with a libertarian perspective on the issue to demonstrate the way a good number of economists view drug policy an alternative view of legalization outside of the mainstream Democratic and Republican perspectives.