Best Selling Books by David Schmidt

Do you believe in ghosts? When doors and windows open on their own, when footsteps echo down an empty hall, when shadows move in the darkness and voices whisper when no one is around...what is going on? These are the experiences that stick with us, frighten us, incite our imaginations, and, ultimately, connect us to the past. Skeptics and believers alike are sure to be captivated by author David J. Schmidt''s case study of Point Loma Nazarene University, a private Christian college in California that is filled with tales of poltergeists and apparitions. Originally built by a mysterious group of enigmatic Occultists known as the "Theosophists," the college is said to be haunted by the group''s leader, Madame Tingley. Schmidt''s retelling of these chilling stories both terrifies and lifts the shroud of mystery behind the hauntings as he compares them to other spectral stories from around the world. In coming to understand the ghosts of one college, the author hopes to broaden our understanding of hauntings as a worldwide phenomenon. You are invited to join him in his search...if you dare.

From the first gleaming flake of gold pulled from an ancient riverbed to the shimmering silver that connected continents, a select family of precious metals has held humanity in its thrall. This sweeping history argues that these rare and radiant materials were not merely passive objects of desire, but were active agents of historical change. It is a chronicle of how the quest for gold, silver, and platinum has launched fleets, toppled empires, financed wars, and fueled the technological revolutions that have fundamentally shaped the world we inhabit today. Embark on a journey that spans millennia and circles the globe. Witness how gold became the divine flesh of the gods in Pharaonic Egypt and the ultimate prize for Roman legions. Discover the revolutionary invention of coinage in the kingdom of Lydia, the siren call of El Dorado that lured explorers to the New World, and the colossal mountain of silver at Potosí that bankrolled the Spanish Empire. The narrative then follows the frenzied migrations of the California and Australian gold rushes, which built nations and paved the way for the international Gold Standard, a bold experiment to anchor the world''s currencies to a single, incorruptible element. Beyond the treasure fleets and royal vaults, this book uncovers the hidden and modern lives of these extraordinary metals. Explore the mystical world of alchemists who sought to transmute lead into gold, and learn how "noble" metals like platinum and palladium became indispensable to the Industrial Age. The story confronts the darker chapters of this history-from the immense environmental and social costs of mining to the dramatic collapse of the gold standard in the 20th century. It brings the story to the present day, revealing the crucial role of gold and silver in our smartphones and green technologies, their resurgence as vital safe-haven investments, and humanity''s audacious ambition to one day mine them from asteroids. This is more than a history of geology or economics; it is a compelling saga of human ambition, obsession, faith, and innovation. By following the journey of these rare and enduring elements, readers will gain a unique and captivating perspective on the forces that have driven civilization forward. It is the story of our world, told through the timeless and irresistible luster of gold and silver.

When Stripes, an abandoned baby zebra, is rescued by a farmer and his daughter, he believes he can run as fast as the thoroughbreds who live next door, but after much teasing by the horses, he sets out to prove them wrong by training for the Kentucky Derby. Original.

How will the world end? Come the Apocalypse, will you be ready? Who do you want on your side, and which team will you be on?Picking Sides for the Apocalypse Choose Your Doom is a collection of short stories set in end times to help you get your priorities straight and answer these fundamental questions.Team AI:Angel - A lone fugitive brings with her the threat of pursuit by the state.The Undesirable Robert Millings - Can a US Congressman''s virtual therapist help him survive when his life''s work crumbles?Team Alien:A Poisoned Mind - Jonathon Browne knows the voice in his head. It belongs to his deadly enemy.Mikul�s - A ragtag group of alien invasion survivors get help from an improbable source.Team Demon:The Devil - Robert is a war her on his way down. he''s survived addiction. Can he survive his girlfriend?The Woman and Her Wasps - A thousand years after The Destruction, religion is illegal.Team Outbreak:Isolation - Can Genesis escape Regginton Pharmaceuticals and save her engineered offspring?The Clown Motel at the End of the World - As society falls apart, the dark underbelly of humanity takes over.Team Tramp:Paper: Fourteen-year-old Owl Melonvine is devastated that her big brother, Corvin, plans to run away from home.Prisoner of the Wasteland - A teenage boy is enslaved by a brutal gang and forced against his will to work in their drug factory.Team ZombieSurvive the End - Frank''s daughter, Eliana, is missing.Every Dog Has His Day - What if human zombies aren''t the only zombies around?Bonus:Usher Falling - Tormented souls, violent pasts, and drug addiction. Roderick Usher and his dying sister Madeline have them all.

In einer Zeit rasant fortschreitender digitaler Transformation spielt Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) eine zunehmend zentrale Rolle in verschiedensten Bereichen unserer Gesellschaft. Diese Schrift widmet sich speziell der Bedeutung und den Auswirkungen der KI im Steuerrecht. Wie kaum ein anderer Bereich eignet sich das zahlendominierte Steuerrecht für den Einsatz von KI. Bereits heute setzen Unternehmen, Steuerberater und auch die Finanzverwaltung Methoden der KI ein. Auf die fortschreitende Digitalisierung und die neuen Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten sucht die ifst-Schrift 552 erste Antworten.Mit dieser Schrift sollen sowohl Praktikern im Steuerrecht als auch Forschenden und Studierenden wertvolle Einblicke und Anregungen für den Einsatz der KI geben werden.

A collection of short stories for adults, baby boomers, and children. Suitable for children of all ages, even the child inside all of us.These stories are a collection of events that took place in the life of the author in the middle 1950''s. Growing up long before computers, cell phones, video games, or cable TV. It was a time when kids used their imagination and determination to have fun.