HO, HO, HO, 'tis the season to be jolly! But this year was different. With Christmas just day away and a coronavirus still spreading worldwide, Santa had a big problem! Many people had lost their Christmas spirit and Santa's magic was fading. What would Santa do? To his surprise, special helpers arrived to motivate and support him. Join the JAG brothers, Jali and Jax, as they helped Santa save Christmas from the effects of COVID-19. How did the brothers restore Santa's magic in time for the big day? Journey with them in this magical adventure to the frontlines of the North Pole to find out!
This is a comprehensive history of the world's midwinter gift-givers, showcasing the extreme diversity in their depictions as well as the many traits and functions these characters share. It tracks the evolution of these figures from the tribal priests who presided over winter solstice celebrations thousands of years before the birth of Christ, to Christian notables like St. Martin and St. Nicholas, to a variety of secular figures who emerged throughout Europe following the Protestant Reformation. Finally, it explains how the popularity of a poem about a "miniature sleigh" and "eight tiny reindeer" helped consolidate the diverse European gift-givers into an enduring tradition in which American children awake early on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought. Although the names, appearance, attire and gift-giving practices of the world's winter solstice gift-givers differ greatly, they are all recognizable as Santa, the personification of the Christmas and Midwinter festivals. Despite efforts to eliminate him by groups as diverse as the Puritans of seventeenth century New England, the Communist Party of the twentieth century Soviet Union and the government of Nazi Germany, Santa has survived and prospered, becoming one of the best known and most beloved figures in the world.
A young man falls to his death from a window in a student dorm in Stockholm, his loose shoe striking and killing the little dog being taken for his evening walk by an old man. It seems to be a mundane suicide—at least that’s what the police choose to think. But the young man is American, not Swedish, and there are a couple of odd things about his room when they search it. . . . From these tiny beginnings, Leif GW Persson slowly begins to unravel a puzzle that gets larger and larger as it becomes more and more complex, until it sweeps us into a web of international espionage, backroom politics, greed, sheer incompetence, and the shoddy work of Sweden’s intelligence force that leads to the murder of the prime minister. The first novel in a dark and dazzling trilogy that has become the defining fictional account of the unsolved 1986 assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme—an event that triggered the biggest criminal investigation in recorded history—Between Summer’s Longing and Winter’s End is a riveting insider’s combination of black satire, thriller, psychological drama, and police procedural by a writer universally acknowledged as Sweden’s leading criminologist.
Robert’s therapeutic autobiography begins with his experience as a child flying out of the window in a car accident and ends with the pandemic twilight zone of COVID-19. He uses his background in psychology to examine projection errors of the mind that have plagued mankind for centuries. What is unique is that Robert uses examples from his own life, re-enacting events using therapeutic techniques, providing the reader insight into the secret of life’s stories. While the book could be used as a college text, it is written for multi age and education levels. As Robert moves from his first formative experience to his later life as a teacher, counselor, and Psychodramatist, he introduces the reader to important psychological concepts. Robert’s book is part memoir and psychological guide. The Secret in the Story is written as a sequel to the Story has a Secret. Robert shows you how to apply the same therapeutic perspective to your own life and to examine memories, turning them into your memoires, that can lead you to a more fulfilling life.
This year, everything is different. Humans wear masks to keep each other safe. And so does Santa! He's told his reindeer to put on masks, but will they do what he said? Join Santa on his journey as he delivers his presents and makes an unexpected friend. A picture book that shows how Christmas can still be fun in a world of social distancing, lockdowns and a global pandemic.
Karin Tramm’s kindergarten class at DoDEA Vicenza Elementary School on Caserma Ederle Army Base, Italy, was counting up to a magic day—the 100th day of school—when students would be 100 days smart! “Mrs. Tramm, is that the last day of school?” a child asked. "Goodness no, there are a lot of numbers bigger than one hundred,” Mrs. Tramm explained, “and we will be in school for many more days after the hundredth day.” But then, on February 21, 2020, the 100th day of school, COVID-19 changed everything. From empty classrooms to kindergarten in the kitchen, teachers, parents, and students navigated uncharted waters as their world locked down in the epicenter of the Italian outbreak. For the next 100 days, residents of Vicenza learned to find joy in simplicity, country living, and community. In diary form, 100 Days Smart highlights their resilience, recognizing and remembering the fears and frustrations, humor and humanity of shared experiences on a new path forward.
The simple fabric face mask is a key agent in the fight against the global spread of COVID-19. However, beyond its role as a protective covering against coronavirus infection, the face mask is the bearer of powerful symbolic and political power and arouses intense emotions. Adopting an international perspective informed by social theory, The Face Mask in COVID Times: A Sociomaterial Analysis offers an intriguing and original investigation of the social, cultural and historical dimensions of face-masking as a practice in the age of COVID. Rather than Beck’s ‘risk society’, we are now living in a ‘COVID society’, the long-term effects of which have yet to be experienced or imagined. Everything has changed. The COVID crisis has generated novel forms of sociality and new ways of living and moving through space and time. In this new world, the face mask has become a significant object, positioned as one of the key ways people can protect themselves and others from infection with the coronavirus. The face mask is rich with symbolic meaning as well as practical value. In the words of theorist Jane Bennett, the face mask has acquired a new ‘thing-power’ as it is coming together with human bodies in these times of uncertainty, illness and death. The role of the face mask in COVID times has been the subject of debate and dissension, arousing strong feelings. The historical and cultural contexts in which face masks against COVID contagion are worn (or not worn) are important to consider. In some countries, such as Japan and other East Asian nations, face mask wearing has a long tradition. Full or partial facial coverings, such as veiling, is common practice in regions such as the Middle East. In many other countries, including most countries in the Global North, most people, beyond health care workers, have little or no experience of face masks. They have had to learn how to make sense of face masking as a protective practice and how to incorporate face masks into their everyday practices and routines. Face masking practices have become highly political. The USA has witnessed protests against face mask wearing that rest on ‘sovereign individualism’, a notion which is highly specific to the contemporary political climate in that country. Face masks have also been worn to make political statements: bearing anti-racist statements, for example, but also Trump campaign support. Meanwhile, celebrities and influencers have sought to advocate for face mask wearing as part of their branding, while art makers, museums, designers and novelty fashion manufacturers have identified the opportunity to profit from this sudden new market. Face masks have become a fashion item as well as a medical device: both a way of signifying the wearer’s individuality and beliefs and their ethical stance in relation to the need to protect their own and others’ health. The Face Mask in COVID Times: A Sociomaterial Analysis provides a short and accessible analysis of the sociomaterial dimensions of the face mask in the age of COVID-19. The book presents seven short chapters and an epilogue. We bring together sociomaterial theoretical perspectives with compelling examples from public health advice and campaigns, anti-mask activism as well as popular culture (news reports, blog posts, videos, online shopping sites, art works) to illustrate our theoretical points, and use Images to support our analysis.
I T ' S H U M A N N A T U R E SEVEN STORIES ILLUSTRATING NATURE'S CONTROL OF HUMAN ACTIONS AND REACTIONS "AFFIRMATIVE ACTION" The re-segregation of the town's public high school, because of the flight of the white student population, forged a riff between a politically ambitious father, who was campaigning for a top municipal office, and his veteran son who wanted to get his high school diploma. "HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" A family's Christmas was nearly ruined when the parents took their two children on a tropical vacation for the holidays. "UP AGAINST IT" When an Assistant Bank Manager lost his job, wife, home and money, he became a criminal in his quest to get back to his hometown to start over. "OH, DANNY BOY" A young man's driving ambition to become a successful rhythm'n'blues entertainer caused him to hurt the ones who cared most for his success and well-being. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND JULIUS ROSENWALD, AND THEIR "INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE ." "PEACE ON EARTH" (A Play) Astronauts are shuttled into space, to repair a spaceship, when one has a nightmarish dream about the outbreak of global conflict and destruction their mission could cause. "SENIOR PASSION" A small clique of senior ladies in an Assisted Living Residence organize a club to bolster the sex drive of their significant other and themselves.
