The Echo from Dealey Plaza - The true story of the first African American on the White House Secret Service detail and his quest for justice after the assassination of JFK

For more than forty years—whether writing for Richard Pryor and Saturday Night Live or performing stand-up to sold-out crowds around the country—Paul Mooney has been provocative, incisive . . . and absolutely hilarious. His comedy has always been indisputably real and raw, reflecting race issues in America, and this fascinating, fearless new memoir continues that unapologetically candid tradition.

While other stars soared only to crash and burn, Paul Mooney has stayed chiefly behind the scenes, and he’s got a lifetime of stories to show for it. As head writer for The Richard Pryor Show, he helped tear down racial barriers and change the course of comedy. He helped Robin Williams and Sarah Bernhard break into show business. He paved the way for superstars like Eddie Murphy. Few have witnessed as much comedy history as Mooney; even fewer could recount it with such riotous honesty and depth of insight. He reveals the truth about his celebrated partnership with the brilliant, self-destructive Richard Pryor, from their first meeting to the very last joke, and reflects on some of his most notorious moments.

From creating a strong internet presence and high-quality, eye-catching mailers to ensuring happy customers and promoting word-of-mouth referrals, this indispensable handbook details the multitudinous ways wedding and portrait photographers can supercharge their marketing efforts to bring in more clients and better profits. Containing a step-by-step guide to the power marketing method-a systematic, proactive approach that takes advantage of the best possible resources available-photographers will learn how to understand their customers, identify their hook, and establish program goals and objectives. Five of the biggest and most oft-encountered mistakes made by both new and struggling studios are discussed, as well as how to establish an effective pricing strategy and become comfortable with self-promotion. By incorporating these proven sales and presentation strategies, photographers will be able to put forth their best sales approach, point out the features and benefits of their product, and overcome client objections to close the sale.

When Henry Louis Gates spoke out about his ridiculous arrest, he stated a truth few Americans?including President Obama?are eager to discuss: there is no such thing as a post-racial America. When it comes to race, the United States has come a long way, but not far enough and not fast enough. Every day, we cope with casual racism, myriad indignities, institutional obstacles, post-racial nonsense, and peers bent on self-destruction. The powers that be, meanwhile, always seem to arrive with their apologies and redress a day late and a dollar short.

This book takes a close look at the lives of African-Americans from diverse backgrounds as Obama?s victory comes to play a personal role in each of their lives. Every tale delves into the complex issues we will have to deal with going forward:

• The many challenges young black men face, such as subtle persistent racism
• The stagnation of blacks vis ? vis whites
• Widespread black participation in the military despite widespread anti-war sentiments
• The decline of unions even as organized labor becomes the primary vehicle for black progress
• The challenges of interracial families
• The lack of good schools or healthcare for the poor
• The inability of well-off blacks to lift up others

ANSWER: Depends on how thin you slice them.

Lawyers, and, more to the point, lawyer stories, have been sliced, diced, and presented for consumption for centuries. Ever since Dick the Butcher suggested in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 2 that "the first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers," the profession has exhibited a strong appeal for readers...to say nothing of an enduring image problem. Today, stories about life on the front lines of the nation's courtrooms fuel everything from the novels of John Grisham and Scott Turow to television shows like The Practice, Ally McBeal, and L.A. Law. Now in Shark Tales comes a remarkable collection of witty, eccentric, and astounding war stories -- guaranteed to be mostly true -- supplied by hundreds of attorneys and displaying the nitty-gritty of life in court.

To create Shark Tales, famed Washington lawyer Ron Liebman solicited stories from hundreds of colleagues in America and Britain...and not just any stories. He asked them to supply humor, of course, but also to describe the day on which they were proudest to be lawyers, and the day when they were most ashamed. He asked for stories of wild divorces and tragic losses. He asked them to describe the worst judges and best witnesses they'd ever encountered. He reviewed actual court transcripts, and found material like the following:

QUESTION: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?

ANSWER: All my autopsies have been on dead people.

Here is the tale of a case settled not by a fingerprint left behind at the scene of the crime, but an entire finger. Here is a lawyer agreeing to defend a client accused of passing bad checks...a client who promptly bounced the retainer check. Here you'll meet a proud son, having won his first case, telling his father -- also a lawyer -- that "justice has triumphed," to which the father replied, "Appeal at once." And here is a senior partner in a Washington law firm meeting with a group of Japanese corporate clients with whom he seems compelled to reminisce about the first time he saw Tokyo: as a bomber pilot in 1945.