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Pamela's Place guests and topics for Friday 1/31/14

Thursday, January 30, 2014

My guest and topic for the 12:00 - 1:00 hour of Pamela's Place:

How Scam Artists Target Their Prey

NYT-Bestselling Expert Explains Why Seniors are

Targets for Con Artists and What to do About it

You don’t have to be Hannibal Lecter or Charles Manson to cheat an elderly victim out of his or her money—you just have to be a psychopath.

“Few people realize that one percent of the population can be classified as psychopathic,” says Douglas E. Richards, a biotech-executive-turned- New York Times bestselling author whose newest book, The Cure, (Macmillan) is centered on startling new research into what makes a psychopath tick.

In addition to being absolutely selfish—without conscience, empathy, or remorse—psychopaths are cold-blooded, callous, and cool under pressure. “They are predators, and we are prey,” explains Richards. “And they feel as much compassion for others as wolves feel for sheep.”

But they are also often unbelievably charming, smooth-talking, brilliant liars who thrive on deceit and have an uncanny instinct for zeroing in on the vulnerabilities of others—which makes them particularly effective at preying on the elderly, who can be lonely and eager for human connection.

Scamming seniors has become so prevalent, The National Council on Aging has called it the crime of the 21st century. The more you know about what makes a psychopath tick, the better you can protect yourself,and this applies to non-seniors as well, because psychopaths aren’t always scam artists and criminals. They can also be the charming, unscrupulous coworker who lies to your face and stabs you in the back.”

My guest for this hour, Douglas E. Richards is a New York Times bestselling author considered by many to be the heir to Michael Crichton. Known for writing can't-put-down science fiction thrillers based on meticulously researched science, Richards has a master's degree in molecular biology, and has genetically engineered viruses that are now named after him.

My Guest and topic for the 1:00 - 2:00 hour:

Is The U.S. Really Following in The Roman Empire’s Tragic Footsteps?

Scholar of Ancient Rome Sees Similarities – And Differences

We’ve all heard it often enough in recent years: “The United States is going the way of the Roman Empire,” which essentially bankrupted itself in the 5th century.

“The wonderful thing about studying history is that we can identify and understand our ancestors’ mistakes and avoid making the same ones,” says James Mace, www.legionarybooks.net , whose decades of ancient Roman studies have resulted in a series of best-selling historical novels, “The Artorian Chronicles.” The newest, “ Soldier of Rome: The Last Campaign,” was published in November.

“In some ways, yes, there are similarities between our society and ancient Rome,” he says. “Superpowers all go through the same evolutionary cycles – monarchy to republic to empire. Britain did; Rome did. And the United States now parallels the Roman Republic in many ways, just before Julius Caesar,” the dictator whose rise to power corresponded with the downfall of the Roman Republic.

The similarities between Rome and the United States are sometimes troubling, Mace says.

“Congress has a 10 percent approval rating and a 90 percent re-election rate. What does that say about public political apathy?” he asks. “We have people who turn to politics to get rich, and we have expensive campaigns funded by special interests. Those qualities were also characteristic of ancient Rome.”

But there are differences, too, Mace says.

“Roman senators came directly from the patrician class and were not elected by the masses,” he says. “Interestingly enough, there was a trump card the people could play, and that was the Plebian Tribunes, who were elected, and though of a lower class, they had veto power over the senate. How the emperors gained true power was when the tribunician power was first given to Augustus Caesar in 27 BC.”

My guest for this hour, James Mace developed his passion for history at a young age and has been a lifelong scholar of Ancient Rome . He penned the initial draft of his first novel, "Soldier of Rome: The Legionary," as a cathartic means of escapism while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq. He spent a career as a soldier, and in 2011 left his full-time position with the Army National Guard to devote himself to writing.

His well-received series, "Soldier of Rome - The Artorian Chronicles," is a perennial best-seller in ancient history on Amazon. With his other favorite period in history being the British Empire, his writing has branched into the Napoleonic Wars. He is currently working on a new trilogy about the Roman-Jewish War of 66 to 73 A.D., along with a side project about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

Join me for Pamela's Place from anywhere in the world at www.wdng.net

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Keywords: Con Artists ,Douglas E. Richards,psychopaths,The National Council on Aging ,New York Times bestselling author,James Mace , Pamela's Place, WDNG Media,

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