Credit card issuers have consistently trolled campuses, handing out gifts to students who fill out credit card applications and issuing them cards even though they have no income. When students miss a payment they are sometimes charged exorbitant interest rates that can be as high as 35 percent and leave students drowning in debt, according to Consumer’s Union.

“These practices are going to continue right up until next February when card issuers have to make sure the cards are co-signed or the under-21 person can prove ability to pay,” warned Handler. “This means that until then your kids are at risk, and now is the time to educate them.”

In “Dear Graduate,” which was released in May 2009, Handler explains to uninformed students (and in many cases, their uniformed parents), in no-nonsense terms, the perils of easy credit, and offers suggestions for responsible use.

“A survey by Sallie Mae found that more than half of college students accumulate at least $5,000 in credit card debt while in school, and a third of them have debt in excess of $10,000,” noted Handler, a Junior Achievement mentor in personal finance in Palm Beach County, Florida. “Shockingly, university officials say they lose more students to credit card debt than to academic failure.

“Young people need to learn early on that credit cards should only be used when absolutely necessary, when there’s an emergency like a medical bill or an essential car repair,” continued Handler, founder of Dreamstar Custom Homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

He suggests using debit cards instead of credit cards and choosing a credit card with no annual fee and a low interest rate.

“Dear Graduate” covers a host of other financial topics as well, because Handler recognizes that parents sometimes have as much trouble talking to teens about money as they do about sex. Furthermore, many parents never learned the basics of responsible money management themselves.

“What I tried to do with ‘Dear Graduate’ was to give parents a tool they could use to help guide their children while at the same time helping them learn some basics they perhaps missed themselves,” said Handler, a father of two. “The book is an overview, not a textbook, written in a conversational way in language today’s teens can relate to, and can be used as a foundation for more in-depth learning.”

Also included in “Dear Graduate” is information about checking accounts (and keeping them balanced), credit ratings and reports, buying a car, investing in stocks and real estate, insurance (auto, homeowner’s, health and life) and budgeting.

The book costs $11.99 plus S&H. A package containing the book, a CD and a greeting card is $17.99 plus S&H and the greeting card with audio CD is $9.99 plus S&H.

To learn more or to order the book go to: www.deargraduate.com.

The highly acclaimed Handbook of Program Management is published by McGraw Hill. It has been ranked as high as number three of all project management books on Amazon.com and has all five star reviews.

Dr. James T. Brown PMP, a recognized authority in Program and Project management, is the author of “The Handbook of Program Management,” and president of SEBA(R) Solutions Inc.

SEBA Solutions Inc. also operates the online project management training portal www.OnePdu.com.

SEBA(R) Solutions is a Registered Education Provider (REP) of the Project Management Institute.

For further information, or to contact James T. Brown, Ph.D., visit www.sebasolutions.com.

The writer lives in Florida. A master storyteller, retired newspaper and magazine columnist, Cushner is a former civil rights lawyer, administrative judge, and minister. He is a graduate of Boston Latin School, Bowdoin College, and Boston University Law School. Fluent in Spanish, he currently volunteers two nights a week teaching English classes to Hispanoparlantes. He writes a monthly article for a Washington Human Resource organization that is read by thousands of Fortune 500 human resource workers around the country. His novel depicts the places he has traveled in Europe, Central and South American. He is a sailor, a private pilot, mountain climber, avid trap and pistol shooter, fly-fisherman and downhill skier. This is the first of a series of Josh Parker novels.

Contact: Mr. Cushner is available for speaking engagements and book signings. He may be contacted at (561) 352-4148 or through email at ajcushner@comcast.net.

“Under Nuclear Attack” takes us from the edge a Russian nuclear storage facility into the rivers of Central America and finally into mid-town Manhattan. While America nervously guards against another terrorist attack, Washington learns that Russian General Viktor Valentyn has sold weapon-grade cesium to terrorists. Retired CIA Analyst, Josh Parker – the son of Russian Jews who was launched straight out of Boston Latin School to serve a controversial career at CIA – is snatched out of his teaching job at Boston University to stop the dirty bomb delivery boys. As the clock clicks down toward the zero hour, Washington choreographs an international manhunt that pits the aging Parker against one of the world’s most cunning villains. Arriving in Nicaragua, Parker pulls the decaying body of his contact out of a river and escapes death only to face an unforgiving jungle. While Washington sends Matt Walker to find Parker, the beautiful wife of Parker’s murdered contact finds Parker and rescues him. Parker and Matt Walker then face the terrorists on the back rivers of Central America, the Pan-American highway, Detroit, and finally into New York City – where a nuclear holocaust awaits.

Martin Lobel, Washington DC Literary Attorney and Writer says: “I started the book right after dinner and had to finish it before I fell asleep. A marvelous tale. I just hope the system functions as well as he writes.”

Robert P. Smith, CEO and Co-Author of “Riches Among the Ruins: Adventures in the Dark Corners of the Global Economy” writes: “Under Nuclear Attack is a riveting thriller that has the potential of being a blockbuster best seller. Better than any Ludlum or Patterson novel that I have read. I could not put the book down until the very last page.”

John La Torraca from California writes: “I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Under Nuclear Attack’ – my kind of story. I am looking forward to reading Josh Parker’s next adventure.”

L. Rheinheimer, a critical reader writes: “This is the most relevant and gripping narrative I have read in a long time. This is a must read for anyone who wants insight into the goings-on of the reality of the world today. This should be required reading for every American.”

Frederic B. Cohen, a Florida reader writes: “A terrific storyline with several ‘in your face’ characters and lots of great locations – could not help visualize the action as it might appear on film. I grew up in Boston and the scenes painted by Cushner were ‘spot on,’ especially the Community Boating Club. The book flies.”

In the early morning hours of March 11, 2005, defendant Brian Nichols was scheduled to appear in court for the rape and kidnapping at gunpoint of his ex-girlfriend. This was the second time in less than two weeks Nichols was being tried on these charges as the first trial ended in a hung jury. Nichols took matters into his own hands and brutally beat the female deputy responsible for escorting him to the courtroom and escaped custody with the deputy’s weapon and ammunition. Nichols methodically set out on a killing spree of the people he felt responsible for his predicament which included Ash Joshi.

In less than 15 minutes, Nichols held five hostages inside the chambers of Judge Rowland Barnes, crept up behind Judge Barnes sitting on his bench and executed him by shooting him in the back of the head. He then gunned down the court reporter, and managed to make his way outside the courthouse and killed a Sheriff’s deputy on the street. Nichols set out on a crime spree, which ended with the murder of an FBI Agent later that evening. Waking the Sleeping Demon offers readers an inside look into this tragedy from a perspective rarely told – that of the victims.

It’s easy to recall the first and last names of heinous criminals who tore apart families and spread fear throughout communities across this country. The likes of Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dauhmer, The Zodiac Killer or newly added to the list, Brian Nichols, readily come to mind. Sadly, what’s not as easy to recall are the names of the victims and their stories. In “Waking the Sleeping Demon” Ms. Reid attempts to change the vantage point of the American conscience from the fascination and glorification of evil, to the emotional pain these serial killers cause in the splintered lives of those left in their wake, and what as a society we should do to prevent it from happening again.

“Rather than merely putting victims’ pain on display for a sound bite that would just as quickly be forgotten, I yearned to described their stories in a way that would make us all stop and ask what kind of society we live in if we continually dismiss peoples’ bone-searing pain, yet relish in stories of “why” their tormentors committed such atrocities,” said Ms. Reid. “I hope that people come away from this book, knowing that I have tried to alter the discussion, maybe even change the view of the general public from glorifying people like Brian Nichols, to respecting the loss of their victims, while striving to accurately record a piece of history.”

Opening arguments began Monday, September 22 in the Atlanta Municipal Court Building.

Waking the Sleeping Demon: 26 Hours of Terror is available at www.shoranreid.com and wherever books are sold.

About Shoran Reid

Shoran Reid is a graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She spent nearly a decade as a successful civil trial attorney in Atlanta, earning the respect of judges, jurors and her colleagues alike. Known throughout courthouse communities for her steadfast preparedness, she carried that same commitment to excellence into her career as a writer. Her debut work “Waking the Sleeping Demon: 26 Hours of Terror in Atlanta” (Rella Publishing Trade Paperback), is a thought-provoking, non-fiction account of the Atlanta Courthouse shootings. To secure Shoran Reid for speaking engagements and book signings contact her agent Kim Rouse, call: + 1 609 261-3673, email: covenant224@comcast.net, and covenant224@aol.com, or visit: http://www.shoranreid.com.