With Easter Sunday around the corner and roughly 80 percent of all Americans expected to observe the holiday in some way, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018's Best Places to Celebrate Easter to go along with its Easter Facts & Stats – Church, Candy & Cash infographic.

To find out which cities promise the most egg-citing time on April 1, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 12 key metrics, ranging from Easter egg-hunt events per capita to Easter weather forecast.
 

Best Cities for Easter

1

New York, NY

11

Las Vegas, NV

2

St. Louis, MO

12

Philadelphia, PA

3

Chicago, IL

13

Dallas, TX

4

Pittsburgh, PA

14

San Antonio, TX

5

Los Angeles, CA

15

San Diego, CA

6

Birmingham, AL

16

Miami, FL

7

Atlanta, GA

17

Cleveland, OH

8

Houston, TX

18

Oklahoma City, OK

9

Cincinnati, OH

19

Minneapolis, MN

10

Orlando, FL

20

San Francisco, CA

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-to-celebrate-easter/19774/

Easter Facts & Stats – Church, Candy & Cash

• $18.2 Billion: Total Easter-related spending expected in 2018 ($150 per person celebrating).
   
• $2.6 Billion: Projected Easter spending on candy.
   
• $49,000: Price of the world’s most expensive chocolate Easter bunny.
   
• 59%: Share of people who eat chocolate bunnies ears first.

For the full infographic, please visit: https://wallethub.com/blog/easter-facts/19776

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Robert Maddock’s ‘Operation Wappen’

Book reveals details on ‘A War That Never Was’ during Cold War

SALT LAKE CITY – Robert Maddock’s book “Operation Wappen: A War That Never Was” (published by Xlibris) started from a simple question: “What was the Cold War all about?” His niece who was headed for one and a half years abroad asked the question, and he assured her he would write something about it for her – the result is this book.

“Operation Wappen” is a short story primarily spanning two years from 1956 to 1958. It includes the author’s Marine Corps service as a second lieutenant artillery forward observer attached to Third Battalion Sixth Marine Regiment led by Colonel Austin C “Shifty” Shofner (one of only nine men ever to escape a Japanese prisoner of war camp). It describes the maturation of Phase III warfare – the landing by helicopter of an intact infantry battalion ready to fight behind enemy lines (Operation Deep Water) and the beginnings of Phase IV warfare with the return of knights to the battlefield (Yasser Arafat then and later Osama bin Laden). Operation Wappen was a CIA/MI6 joint clandestine frustrated effort to overthrow the Syrian government.

“Everyone likes a good spy or secret agent story.  This is one on a grand scale that really happened, but fortunately was called off at the last minute.  That is why it is a ‘War that Never Was.’”

It begins with General Patton’s murder, the start of the Cold War, and a warning to all those who believe that being a ‘secret agent’ or ‘spy’ is ‘cool.’ It isn’t. There is too much skullduggery including murder and post-traumatic stress to make it appealing to a ‘normal’ person. It also shows how many people can be dragged into such plans unwittingly. He states, “I should add that it was my privilege and honor to serve in the United States Marine Corps when I did, under President, Commander in Chief, Dwight D. Eisenhower who knew when and especially when not ‘to pull the trigger.’”

“Operation Wappen: A War That Never Was”

By Robert K Maddock Jr., MD FACP

Hardcover | 8.5x8.5 in | 84 pages | ISBN 9781543460834

Softcover | 8.5x8.5 in | 84 pages | ISBN 9781543460841

E-Book | 84 pages | ISBN 9781543460858

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Robert K Maddock Jr. has a love of history. He graduated from St George’s School, Middle Town, Rhode Island, in 1952, and Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in 1956. From there he served two years active duty with the United States Marine Corps Reserve (1956-58) including service in the Middle East and a total of 9 year in the Ready Reserve. He was discharged honorably in 1965 as a Captain. He graduated from the University of Virginia Medical School in 1962 and did five years of postgraduate training at University of Utah College of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland. He was full time faculty for 3 years and eventually adjunct professor of medicine (U of Utah) and fellow in the American College of Physicians. His wife, Raija Pönkänen RN, FNP, from Finland with more combat time than he, is illustrator. Together, they have reared nine children.

Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.

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Media Advisory: Rural and Public Lands Policy Summit 

Panelists include: Rep. Rob Bishop, Rep Chris Stewart, Mitt Romney and additional rural and public lands policy scholars and legal minds. 

Date: Tuesday, March 27

Press Availability: 4:30- 5:00 pm

Location: Dixie State University, Holland Centinenial Commons, Room 535 

About FIRM: 

FIRM's mission is to promote and preserve multiple uses of public lands through research, education, and advocating for the benefits of multiple use management and sound public lands policy. 
 
Principles and Beliefs

• Mulitple use is critical to federal, state and local economies. 
• Multiple use management preserves enjoyment and health of public lands. 
• Public access is a key element of multiple use management. 
• Traditional multiple uses are an important part of the lifestyle and economy of western state and counties. 
• Education of the public and official on the effects of multiple-use will result in broad-based support of multiple management plans. 
• Public lands management should be based on credible scientific and economic research of multiple-use. 
• Proper public lands planning includes serious attention to local input including local elected officials. 

About RIPPL: 

The goal of a collaboration between FIRM and University faculty and students is to better achieve FIRM’s mission while also adding value to the academic and community programs. 

FIRM's vision for RPPL is three-fold:

1. Conduct and publish high-quality, student-driven research, focused on rural policy and public lands;
2. Train students to policy analysis those students so those students can be placed leveraged positions; and
3. Communicate better policy alternatives to lawmakers and policy influencers through the active engagement of policy fellows.

RPPL will be a policy research center that will partner with FIRM in conducting public lands policy research that will improve the quality of the dialog around rural issues and public lands policy.  The university setting provides academic and policy process credibility.  
 
Just as important as the research itself is the ability to engage and train students.  RPPL is designed to full engage students in research, analysis, and policy advocacy so that students are prepared to engage in their communities after graduation.  
 
By doing research and training students, RPPL and FIRM can affect positive change in the education of local elected officials and other stakeholders. In time, RPPL's students can become the elected officials and policy makers with a solid educational base. 

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