Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Politics & Social Sciences

Since logic derives from postulates, it never has, and never will, change a postulate. And a religious belief is a system of postulates...so how can a man fight a native superstition with logic in order to save the inhabitants of an entire planet? A classic science fiction novelette by H. Beam Piper, first published in Analog Science Fact-Science Fiction, in 1960.

Before leaving office, Van Buren reminds Congress that he refrained from raising taxes, and kept the national debt in check. He makes no mention of the growing factionalism between pro-slavery and abolitionist groups, once again showing his concern for preserving the union.

Lady Windermere's Fan is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it bitingly satirizes the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who discovers that her husband may be having an affair with another woman. She confronts her husband but he instead invites the other woman, Mrs. Erlynne, to his wife's birthday ball. Angered by her husband's unfaithfulness, Lady Windermere leaves her husband for another lover. Or does she?

In this, his eighth annual message, Madison tells of his impending retirement. For the future he recommends better transportation, a national university, rebuilding the military, and a consistent system of weights and measures, among other things.

All of us want to leave a mark on our world. We want to be remembered for the good we did. This is the dilemma for author Ellis Parker Butler, a contemporary of Mark Twain. In the case of Butler, he found that the more he followed rabbit trails and gathered 'goat-feathers' without actually doing much to finish the work he thought was more important, the less fulfilled he became. Filled with humor and wit, this author's lamentation is both understood and smiled at.

Jefferson is often cited as an important figure in early American democracy. He envisioned democracy as an expression of society as a whole, and called for national self-determination, cultural uniformity, and education of all the people (or all the males, as he believed at the time). His emphasis on uniformity did not envision a multiracial republic in which some groups were not fully assimilated into the identical republican values.

This short story takes you back to the start of radio in America. Filled with just the right amount of humor this story takes a millionaire's final wish and makes it possible for him to broadcast an approved message through a loud speaker in his headstone. This captured the attention of the nation, but no one expected the worst case scenario, but it is just this scenario that empties a cemetery. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

A truly sweet poem narrated by voice actor Ann M. Richardson. Short, but sure to enthrall the child in all of us.

A concise biography of the pastor, orator, and political figure Henry Ward Beecher. This audio life tour takes you from Henry's childhood to moments when he faced those he opposed in the Civil War as well as moments when his words swayed Europe. This is a biographical sketch for all ages.

John Greenman narrates John Adams' farewell address. Adams made some very difficult decisions that would eventually cause him to lose his next election as president of the United States. He avoided war but split his party.

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced that the 13 American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as 13 newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation - the United States of America. Narrated by John W. Michaels, a must listen.

"George Washington's Farewell Address" is a letter written by George Washington to the people of the United States of America. It was Washington's valedictory after 20 years of service to the new nation. It is a classic statement of republicanism, warning Americans of the political dangers they can and must avoid if they are to remain true to their values.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson corresponded regularly, and although they had a deep respect for each other, as you will soon learn from this missive written on July 13, 1813, by John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, they didn't always agree.

This would be the first formal speech to the American people from the mind of the President who is credited with bringing "Camelot" to the nation. In this speech we hear his first presidential endorsement of the Peace Corp., Food For Peace, an international sharing of scientific knowledge, and a cooperative space race. Here he decries the Cold War and Communist encroachment in Cuba. He will tell the American people things will get worse before they get better. A classic speech delivered by a well-loved American President. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

A tour of the life of Abraham Lincoln from childhood to a fatal theater visit. This is a digest format biography of a President whom many believe to be among America's best. For all ages. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

The Lady, or The Tiger, written by Frank R. Stockton and narrated by Rebecca Thomas, invites the listener into a semi-barbaric world where justice is decided by fate. The right choice rewards the innocent with marriage; the wrong choice punishes the guilty by serving him to a starving tiger. When the princess' lover is sent to the arena, she discovers the secret of the choice. But what choice does she herself make?

"These are the times that try men's souls." With these words, Thomas Paine began a series of 13 extraordinary pamphlets reporting on the American Revolution. Part newsfeed, part op-ed, these pieces were widely circulated in the States and in Britain during the war. They reported on the progress of the war, argued for the reasons for the war, made recommendations on the conduct of the war, and taught citizens of a new country just what their obligations and duties were in support of their new country. A sobering series of lessons on beginning American civics 101.

The Lady or the Tiger, which will it be? The unanswerable question, but certainly something to think about. And going even further, did the princess regret her decision later? Originally published in 1882, in The Century magazine by Frank R Stockton, this short story has become an allegorical expression for an unsolvable problem.

Will Rogers - pithy, political, and plainspoken - was one of the finest entertainers of his generation. As a great American humorist, it was considered an honor to be made fun of by him. By the time of his death in 1935, he had traveled the globe three times, written some four thousand articles, and was one of America's highest-paid film stars. He began his act in Vaudeville by saying, "All I know is what I read in the papers," while idly swinging a lasso he used for rope tricks.

Sophie Lyons was a “thief from the cradle”, as one Chief of Police said; at the early age of six years she had already been trained by her stepmother to be a pickpocket and a shoplifter. A beautiful child with engaging manners, she was sent out every day into the stores and among the crowds of shoppers, and was soundly whipped if she came out of a shop with less than three pocketbooks. “I did not know it was wrong to steal; nobody ever taught me that,” Sophie Lyons writes.