Great River Children’s Museum and Great River Regional Library share a common goal to spark curiosity and learning while encouraging the exploration of new ideas.
Over the next year, Great River Children’s Museum and Great River Regional Library are proud to be bringing the communities of Central Minnesota a small glimpse of the future of Great River Children’s Museum (“GRCM”) through Pop-up Exhibit Experiences hosted by libraries around the region! This is the perfect opportunity to share the potential of future museum exhibits, programming, and experiences with those we look forward to serving in our region.
The library’s goal to have a patron-centered organization is an excellent fit with the museum’s plan to bring play and exploration to Central Minnesota’s children and families.
“The library has specific goals to try new ideas, innovate, and create partnerships that promote libraries and their services, so this feels like a natural extension of key parts of our goals,” says GRRL’s Beth Stolpman.
Great River Children’s Museum aspires to be a place where there is something for everyone and all are welcome, much like Great River Regional Library. Our goal is to bring awareness to those in our region who may not know we are in development. Library patrons outside of the St. Cloud metro area will get a sneak peek of what the future holds for Great River Children’s Museum through displays and exhibit related programming in the familiarity of their local library.
GRRL Librarian Jade Lauber, said, “We are so excited to have the opportunity to have the pop-up exhibits from Great River Children’s Museum! These exhibits will give our patrons the chance to experience what the museum has to offer, and will be an excellent addition to our summer programming. This year, we have a lot of outdoor, nature, and camping activities tying into our annual Summer Reading Program, ‘Read Beyond the Beaten Path.’ We can’t wait to see how well the museum’s Pop-up Exhibit Experiences compliment our existing library resources and programs, and how our patrons will interact with the exhibits!”
Cohort 1 of the Pop-up Exhibit Experiences begin Sunday, May 1 2022 at these Great River Regional Library locations: Annandale, Becker, Clearwater, Paynesville, Pierz, Richmond, and Swanville.
GRCM will also be taking part in this years Llama Llama Pajama Party at the St. Cloud Great River Regional Library on May 10th from 5-7pm. Come by to chat with us and enjoy an activity as well as a coloring contest, storytime, prizes, and more provided by United Way of Central Minnesota, GRRL, and others.
We look forward to connecting with the patrons of Great River Regional Library and to all future partnership opportunities that will support children, their families, and their love of learning through play!


I have read lots of books, publications, documents during my on going journey of discovering the real me. Many have been useful in helping to try to explain what makes me tick, why am I like this etc.
Christiane has listed some good reads on her TG web page and I thought I would say a little more about some that have helped me.
He or She by Vicky Lee
I have personally found this book invaluable on my journey. Originally printed in 2006 but still useful and informative today. There is a huge amount of “me” in the book and I’m sure if you read it you will find your journey and story somewhere in there too.
Very well researched, presented and written, Vicky has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the transgender world spanning many years. She runs the Way out Club in London and Way out Publishing, a specialist TG publisher.
He or She is very easy to read and a real eye opener! Lots of photographs and real life stories from across the spectrum. The book covers many areas and facets from casual cross dressing to full gender reassignment and everything in between!
It is broken down into sub sections.
- Why do we cross dress?
- How to achieve a realistic female image, shape wear and outer clothing.
- Wigs, hair, makeup, deportment etc.
- Legal issues, the work place, relationships, coping in the real world, psychological, physiological, medical issues and much more.
From the first timer to the more experienced, through to those considering hormones and surgery. Lots of helpful tips and advice.
I have purchased several copies over the years and loaned or given them away to those I’ve met: those just starting on their journey; HR department store managers; TG support Groups; Beauticians etc.
Everybody who has read the book has been fascinated, impressed, challenged, helped. Eyes have been opened, questions answered, anxieties, worries etc aired in a very positive way.
I’ve read He or She numerous times and although I have never met Vicky face to face we have spoken and emailed each other in the past. I was delighted to be asked to write a review for the publication in a Transgender Magazine! Even to this day I still can’t put it down. It’s a great book to just dip into!
Pearls of Asia by Lee Geiger
This book is a romantic detective murder mystery featuring a transgender twist published in 2014 and set in San Francisco. It is an irresistible and fun story featuring five fictional transgender women. Each with a compelling unique story to tell.
The main theme is a thought provoking romance between a pre- operative transexual woman and a heterosexual male detective. Lots of twists and turns. A fun read, hard to put down once started!
Alice in Genderland by Richard J Novic, MD
This book is a fantastic true story read. It is the account of a Harvard educated psychiatrist cross dresser in search of himself, herself and the truth that makes him, her tick!
Alice in Genderland is a fascinating read. Richard, Alice runs a medical practice, is married and has a family.
It is a fascinating, gripping account of his, her life over many years. The highs and the lows, with no stone left unturned. There is lots of medical research, medical journals, papers, articles, references etc relating to TG issues from a psychiatrists point of view. I’ve looked at some of them with my medical counsellor.
Alice is well known and respected in her native America. She has written widely, appeared on TV, conferences, conventions and media.
I found her story very much like my own. We have a lot in common! Her book is very helpful and inspiring. Truly gripping, thought provoking, challenging, hard to put down. We are all on a journey and at different stages along the road. We all though have many common threads to our journeys!
I hope you enjoy these reads. All have been a great help to me!


||Phantom reference objects, which are enqueued after the collector
determines that their referents may otherwise be reclaimed.
||Abstract base class for reference objects.
||Reference queues, to which registered reference objects are appended by the
garbage collector after the appropriate reachability changes are detected.
||Soft reference objects, which are cleared at the discretion of the garbage
collector in response to memory demand.
||Weak reference objects, which do not prevent their referents from being
made finalizable, finalized, and then reclaimed.


In case that you missed it. I created a book review video in October for the book “Cirque Du Soleil: 20 Years Under the Sun – An Authorized History” (Hardcover) by Tony Babinski (Author), Kristian Manchester (Contributor). I also uploaded this video review to Amazon.com, which is shown on the product detail page of the Book on their web site now. I find that pretty cool hehe.
As I said indirectly already, the book is available for purchase for about $37 (USD) at Amazon.com and here is the video review of the book. My review in text format follows right below this embed video.
The book is a monster in size and weight and packed with glossy images of the Cirque and its shows and provides a interesting behind the scene look at the humble origins of the enterprise and its worldwide successful shows.
It’s a good gift for somebody who is interested in the Cirque, beyond just the acrobatics. Other people probably won’t appreciate it as much, so check first, before you make the $37 investment for this book.
The book was published in 2004 and probably written in 2003 to early 2004. That means that many of the Cirque du Soleil shows are missing in this book. Cirque du Soleil was very busy over the past four years, since this book was published.
The last touring show covered by the book is “Varekai” and the last residential show “Zumanity“, which is performed at the New York, New York hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show “KA” at the MGM is barely mentioned, not even by name yet and there is nothing to be found about the touring shows “Corteo” and “Kooza“, the Las Vegas shows “Believe“, “The Beatles – Love” and as I already mentioned “KA“. The new resident Asian shows “Zaia” and “Zed” are of course also missing. The music concert “Delirium” is also not part of this book.
All those shows were created after 2004. This is quite a lot of shows, so I can only say again, that you better make sure that the person who you would like to buy this book for can actually appreciate it anyway.
All the new stuff is missing, but the more it covers the early Cirque and first shows that are not running anymore, such as “Fascination”, “Le Grand Tour“, “La Magie Continue”, “Cirque Reinvente” and “Nouvelle Experience”.
Also covered are the still running and touring shows “Saltimbanco“, “Mystere“, “O“, “La Nouba“, “Dralion“, “Alegria” and the mentioned “Zumanity” and “Varekai“. The special anniversary show for the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil at Montreal “Midnight Sun” is also not mentioned. Keep in mind that this special performance happened also in 2004, the year when the book was published for the same reasons.
I don’t know, if the book is also available in other languages than English, but I would assume that this is the case. It should also be available for purchase at any other well sorted book store, other than Amazon.com, such as Barnes & Noble or Borders.
I hope that you found this brief review helpful. Let me know via the comments section below.
To learn more about Cirque du Soleil, check out my Cirque du Soleil primer, here at RoySAC.com and also my special YouTube account “CirqueDuSoleilGuru” for Cirque videos and my Cirque du Soleil photo album collection at the photo sharing web site Flickr.com.
Carsten aka Roy/SAC


Perspectives on Early Islamic Art in Jerusalem – Book Review
Almost every month a new book on Jerusalem and its long history is published, but Lawrence Nees’s Perspectives on Early Islamic Art in Jerusalem stands out among the other volumes.
This newly published volume, edited by Brill, focuses on one particular area of the city and on one particular part of its history: the Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, in the seventh century. It may seem a quite narrow subject, but the new approach Nees uses to describe the history of the Holy City makes the book and its subject much wider.
Lawrence Nees, professor of Medieval Art at the University of Delaware, primarily studies the art of the Early Middle Ages, focusing in particular on north-western Europe. In his research he has also considered the Mediterranean area, the Byzantine world and the artistic tradition of early Islam.
This academic background cannot but heavily contribute to his new and challenging description and analysis of the Haram al-Sharif and the history of Jerusalem. In the author’s words: “Sometimes distance can bring into focus what is difficult to see standing very close, and my perspective is at least a different, and perhaps a fresh one”.
Challenging a decades-long scholarly tradition of a subject as important as the Haram al-Sharif must be regarded as a great step towards a full understanding of the subject itself. The elements of originality are not confined only to the approach but also reach the monuments and objects considered in the volume.
The author does not focus only on those well-known monuments of the Haram al-Sharif, such as the Dome of the Rock and the al-’Aqsa Mosque, but he also takes into consideration, for instance, a long neglected monument such as the Dome of the Chain, which has remained hitherto almost unstudied.
It is not, as the author admits, a comprehensive study of Jerusalem, and probably the reader should already be acquainted with the history and main features of the Holy City, in particular of the Haram al-Sharif. Nevertheless, even for someone who has just a superficial understanding on the subject, the unusual point of view the author proposes can help any further analysis or study.
The author is interested in disproving accepted theories about borders and continuity between historical periods
Jerusalem, the Holy City, is renowned for its internal divisions, the major one being religious, between Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. They are taken, almost without exceptions, as monolithic entities, without noting any difference in their division between “yesterday” and “today”. Nees challenges this particular tendency: we cannot explain the Haram al-Sharif of the seventh century if we still combine that history with that of the eighth century. If there is a division between the three communities now, or in later centuries, we cannot assume a priori that the division has always existed and that it also existed in the seventh century. The social borders are thus challenged, and the same is valid for iconography and history in general. “Archaeological evidence suggests significant continuity and overlap, across a Late Antiquity/Early Muslim border that may be more a feature of modern scholarly divisions than of the situation on the ground in the past”.
The volume is thus not simply a book on the early Islamic art history of Jerusalem: its challenging perspective gives the reader a new interpretation of the past and of the early stages of Islamic rule over Jerusalem and teaches us how to interpret history setting aside modern concepts. By reading this book introduces us to a period when the borders that today we consider natural and essential and inevitable were actually not.
Photo by Tony Kane
Photo by Tony Kane
Photo by Tony Kane


Books about mindfulness that could transform your life
Recently I had an interesting conversation with a woman I had studied with. As we talked, she was sitting in an Ashram in India whereas I was sitting in a set-up office space in my Canadian’s family home gym. We hadn’t seen or talked in over two years and catching up, sharing the stories of how our life’s have changed was truly inspiring.
„Would you be willing to share with me you favorite books about mindfulness and emotional intelligence? There is so much out there and I know you are in this sphere for a while now and have read a lot, so I would really appreciate your recommendations.“
Because my curiosity around these topics and insatiable, her request made me sit down to stop, reflect and create a list. So here it is:
PEACE IN EVERY STEP by Thich Nhat Hanh
SEARCH INSIDE YOURSELF by Chade-Meng Tan
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE by Daniel Goleman
STILL THE MIND by Alan Watts
MINDSIGHT: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Dr. Dan Siegel
AFTER THE ECSTASY, THE LAUNDRY by Jack Kornfield
REAL HAPPINESS by Sharon Salzberg
SEVEN PRACTICES OF A MINDFUL LEADER by Marc Lesser
WHY BUDDHISM IS TRUE by Robert Wright
THE SPIRIT OF BUDDHISM by Sogyal Rinpoche
FLOURISH by Martin Seligman
What is your favorite book about mindfulness and emotional intelligence? Let me know in the comments down below!


my love life & other disasters
‘Witty, elegant poems of love and loss lit up by laser-sharp modernity.’ Maggie Alderson
‘The poems have fantastic rhythm and were an absolute pleasure to read with plenty of laugh out loud and enthusiastic nodding head moments as I totally related to the sentiments.’ Helen Frost
‘A well written and delightful collection of poems for today’s times. So on point with observations and recollections and immensely enjoyable.’ Dawn on Goodreads
‘Just a gem of a poetry collection which took me through a complete range of emotions.’ Julie Young
My love life & other disasters is a collection of recent poems by Josa Keyes
For the man who wasn’t there…
Written before and during COVID-19 pandemic, the poems explore the strangeness of isolation, complex variations of grief, the idiosyncrasies of modern dating, and other snapshots of life both funny and sad.
Josa Keyes performs her poetry in London and elsewhere. Get in touch if you would like to book a performance.
‘Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there!
He wasn’t there again today…’
From Antagonish by William Hughes Mearns
Sail Upon the Land
Josa Young’s second novel Sail Upon the Land was published in December 2014. This novel about motherhood has had more than 448 ratings and reviews on Goodreads, and 172 reviews on Amazon.
An accidental inheritance changes everything for an insecure young man.
The mysterious death of a new mother damages the precious continuity of family love.
And a gap-year student’s misguided romance ends in life-changing disaster. Or does it?
Is the courage she displays during WWII enough to carry her through a long life of love and loss?
Living in her own fairytale, will she find the strength she needs to survive reality?
Rejecting her background following an appalling ordeal, can this driven young woman ever find her way home?
Who is she really, and will she deliver the one precious gift that will heal all their wounds?
You can order a signed paperback here for £7.99 including postage and packing.
One Apple Tasted
For Dora Jerusalem, fresh out of Cambridge with a head full of Victorian novels and romantic dreams, landing a job at Modern Woman magazine seems like amazing luck. But her sheltered background hadn’t prepared her to resist the charms of rich, spoilt kids with nasty habits and nothing to lose. Inevitably she falls in love with art dealer Guy Boleyn, but it isn’t the right time, place or circumstances for either of them.
All the while a long-buried secret lies in wait to booby-trap any attempt at happiness. Kicking off in Eighties London, One Apple Tasted explores the pain of young love, the influence of family on our life choices and the joy of redemption.
You can order a signed paperback here for £5.99 including postage and packing.


This mini-documentary presents the “Sustainable Forestry and Timber Construction” forum on 15th March at EXPO 2020 Dubai hosted by Sweden and Malaysia Pavilion. Staffan Schartner, Head of Construction started a parallel guided tour of the Sweden pavilion. Representatives from the Malaysian pavilion, amongst others, who share a common interest in a global movement for sustainable relation between forests and forest industry, were invited to discuss more about sustainable timber constructions and the benefits of using wood as a prime building material.
The Japanese Wood and Culture Seminar is organized by the Japan Wood-Products Export Association (JWPEA) to promote the quality, usage, art and culture of Japanese wood materials. The following four lectures are presented for the comprehensive understanding of the Japanese wood and culture, together with the traditional and modern application of wood materials, knowledge and techniques.
Characteristics of Yakisugi, presented by Nakamoto Forestry (Download PDF)
Interior of Tea-Ceremony Room, presented by Hanamasu Mokko Ltd. (Download PDF)
Characteristics of Shina from Hokkaido and Shirakaba, presented by Takizawa Venner Co., Ltd. (Download PDF)
Japanese Wood Culture and Promotional Activity for Education of Wood, presented by Japan Wood Culture Society (JWCS) (Download PDF)
Japan Wood-Products Export Association (JWPEA)
Wendell Castle was one of the most renowned contemporary artists in the US, and regardless of the traditional furniture or the modern art design, Wendell always made his own unique style of creations. Unfortunately, Wendell had passed away in January, 2018, not only was it shocking to the art field, but making the footage of Wendell’s speech about the art of furniture making at Furniture Society Conference 2016 in Philadelphia even more valuable. During the conference, Wendell elaborated on how the combination of arts, creativity, and critical thinking could have impacts on an artist’s working style. Besides, Wendell also shared anecdotes about his long artistic career and explained how the digital technology has affected his work.


An 1100-year-old manuscript has sold for $38,126,000 (US), making it the most valuable medieval manuscript to be auctioned. The Codex Sassoon, which contains an almost complete version of the Hebrew Bible, was purchased by Alfred H. Moses and will be donated to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Israel.
Moses, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Romania from 1994 to 1997, commented on why he wanted to give this manuscript to the museum: “The Hebrew Bible is the most influential book in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western civilization. I rejoice in knowing that it belongs to the Jewish People. It was my mission, realizing the historic significance of Codex Sassoon, to see that it resides in a place with global access to all people. In my heart and mind that place was the land of Israel, the cradle of Judaism, where the Hebrew Bible was originated. In Israel at ANU, it will be preserved for generations to come as the centerpiece and gem of the entire and extensive display and presence of the Jewish story.”
The Codex Sassoon dates back to the late ninth or early tenth century, and has a long history. It was auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, who was expecting that the item would be bought for between $30 and $50 million.
The Institute for Hebrew Bible Manuscript Research recently released a report on the Codexm after examining the manuscript under visible, near-infrared, and ultraviolet light. They determined it has links with another important Jewish medieval manuscript, the Aleppo Codex, and could not have been written any later than 925 CE.
Please visit the ANU Museum of the Jewish People for more details


A recent wildly successful Kickstarter campaign proposed an application on your phone that provided children’s’ books complete with picture projections and sound effects (basically an old school television program). It raised nearly twenty times its initial goal of twenty-thousand dollars. This is a perfect demonstration of how desperate parents are to interest their children in reading.
Parents will do anything to make reading more appealing to their young children. Often forgetting to be patient and allow their children to discover their love of reading as their budding attentional abilities permit them. Research demonstrates that parents efforts to make reading more appealing usually backfire. When we try to jazz something up or offer rewards for it, it diminishes that activity’s intrinsic value.
Children are smart and they end up looking at you thinking, “If reading were so great on its own, why are doing this whole song and dance and offering me a new toy if I do it? Reading must not be that great. I’m only going to do it if you keep giving me stuff.” If a book comes with fancy projections and sound effects, it is distracting, discourages the use of individual creativity and imagination, and decreases the likelihood children will want to do the (initially challenging) work of listening to stories.
The Children Agree!
Recent research demonstrated that children typically do not use e-readers to read. Even when the children owned e-readers and were classified as “daily readers” by the researchers, they did not choose to do their reading on the device. They chose physical books. The research assessed ownership of devices with e-reading capabilities and reading habits in children aged 4-6 years. It was a correlational study conducted in Australia and involved slightly less than one thousand kids.
A secondary conclusion from the research, that is perhaps even more striking, is that presence of e-reading devices can inhibit regular reading. The more devices a child had access to, the less likely they were to read. So, if a parent is purchasing an e-reader for a child in hopes of spurring more reading, they are just as likely to get the opposite effect. They are better to spend their money on physical books or save it altogether and simply visit the library regularly.
This research is not necessarily brand new information. Studies show college students prefer physical books over electronic versions if the cost is the same. Even when electronic textbooks are available for free, twenty-five percent of college students still chose to purchase a physical version. A survey of over 1,500 U. K. parents of children aged 0-8 found that 76% of the children prefer physical books to electronic versions. In a study from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, researchers found that only 15% of parents and children preferred reading e-books to traditional books.
Why Might Children Prefer Physical Books?
Children seem to know what is good for them and what they need. E-books often have too many bells and whistles that are distracting. Additionally, many of the studies above involved young children (under eight-years-old). These children are not only working on early literacy skills when they read, but also on fine motor skills like turning the pages and placing the books back on the shelf. They receive sensory input from the heft of the book in their hand and appreciate having a physical object which opens up their imagination. For young kids, a book can become part of an elaborate game of school (one for each stuffed animal) or an object for purchase in a pretend store or check-out in a pretend library. A physical book allows the child to utilize their imagination and not just during reading.
So, How Do We Get Kids Read
If reading is such a valuable thing to do, why don’t they see you doing it? Spend your leisure time reading. Read physical books because children don’t know what you are doing on a tablet or e-reader (and you are more likely to get distracted into non-reading activities, not to mention strain your eyes, remember less of what you read and potentially inhibit melatonin production).
2. Read to Them
Join The Revolution
Read to your children regularly. I aim to read to both of my kids for at least thirty minutes per day. We often go over. It doesn’t need to be thirty minutes constant, but can be broken into chunks based on your child’s age.
3. Display Books and Make Enticing Reading Areas
Make reading easy and interesting. Choose low shelving or open-face shelving that young children can access. Make little nooks that children will enjoy hanging out in. We have previously highlighted making a child’s closet into a nook and all the other simple reading nooks we have throughout our house.
4. Regularly Invest in Books
Don’t buy a fancy tablet for your child. Buy some simple books. Or, better yet, plan to visit the library on a weekly basis and bring home a haul of books. Regularly spend time perusing books and curating a nice collection for your young reader.
5. Allow Downtime
Reading is an obvious choice when there is a bit of downtime. I remember in elementary school that when I finished my seatwork, I was permitted to read. I regularly finished early in part because I had no attention to detail (still don’t), and in part because I was dying to read. Recently, a second-grade teacher informed me that now when children finish their seat work, they are permitted to play “educational” games on their tablets.
If you allow downtime in the car, at home, while waiting places, a book because an obvious choice to pass the time.
6. Turn off the Screens
As the research shows, the accessibility to screens decreased the likelihood of regular reading in young children. One of the big problems with screens is that they displace other activities (reading, being outdoors) that are far superior in their contributions to positive child development.
The Final Word
So, don’t overcomplicate a simple thing. If you want your kids to develop a love for reading, stick with the books.


The following information was written by Rootsmagic, Inc.
New England Historic Genealogical Society is thrilled to announce the addition of more than 3.2 million names to its searchable online databases during 2007 to help its more than 20,000 members around the country with their family history research. NEHGS has more than 100 volunteers around the country who help scan and digitize parts of the vast collection housed at NEHGS’ 7-story research library located at 99 Newbury Street in Boston. Because so many of NEHGS’ members are not in New England, offering access to so many important databases and information is critical to the NEHGS family.
NEHGS’ Web site, www.NewEnglandAncestors.org, contains the most complete set of electronically searchable pre-1910 Massachusetts vital records available anywhere. Some of the new databases now available online include Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850, early New York probate records, Connecticut vital records, Massachusetts census records (1855-1865), and New York calendar of wills, 1636-1826. In addition to creating new searchable databases, the NEHGS team is also conducting a project to add downloadable scans of original page images to the Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 database. This project was begun in January 2007 and is approximately 50% complete, with 41,700 page images added so far. This project will be completed by the end of 2008.
Among the 485,000 records added to this VR collection are the pre-1850 vital records of Plymouth, Yarmouth, Middleborough, Falmouth, Boston, Dorchester, Dedham, Watertown, Truro, Hanover, and Worcester. With the addition of 231,000 pre-1835 New York State probate abstracts from the William A. Eardeley collection, also NEHGS offers the largest electronically searchable set of New York probate records. We are also expanding our searchable collection of Connecticut vital records with the publication of pre-1850 data for the towns of New Haven, Mansfield, and Woodbury, CT. NEHGS will be adding significantly more Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine records in 2008. Another 2007 addition to our website is the content of the NEHGS Register for the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. This extends our collection of searchable Registers to 159 volumes, starting with the first volume, from 1847.
David Allen Lambert


Go down the rabbit hole with Alice; play quidditch with Harry Potter; float down the river with Huck Finn… If you could choose three fictional events or adventures to experience yourself, what would they be?
Well for starters, I’d DEFINITELY be hanging out with Prime Minister Tilda Swinton, as Frosty The Snow Bitch from Narnia…
… Who wouldn’t want a magical wardrobe that takes them to another fucking world and hang out with all kinda of amazing creatures? Besides her little sleigh a) looks fucking awesome and b) looks like it belongs in a Mardi Gras / Pride march.
“Snow Bitch Swinton Supports Gay Marriage!”
Sounds like my kind of fun. It’s like a giant white party.
The next one that I have always loved since I was a kid, is The Magic Faraway Tree. A novel by Enid Blyton, it’s a book that will forever live in my memory. It was one of those books that really got me to understand creativity and break free from the mindset of what is normal, and delve into fantasy as a very young child. I remember that even when I was about 4 or 5 and mum would read stories to me, I’d always wished that I could join the kids on their adventures and wished one day I would find my own magic faraway tree with a secret little door hidden on the side of it so I could transport myself to such weird and wonderful worlds.
The last one I would love to experience would perhaps be Where The Wild Things Are – sailing across the seas to a far off land and discovering a group of monsters and having adventures. Running through the forest and living like a monster – would be a perfect time to indulge in childhood fantasies.


Welcome to the Curran Index, a constantly expanding storehouse of information about who was writing the articles, reviews, stories, novels, and poems that made up the world’s first industrialized press. As of December 2020, the Curran Index features over 168,000 contributions to influential 19th-century British weeklies, monthlies, quarterlies, and annuals.
The database is fully searchable. To search by Periodical and Title of Contribution, navigate to the Contributors tab. The Contributors tab can also be used to locate all the articles in the Curran Index by a particular author.
The Author Info tab gives more extensive information on the gender and nationality of particular contributors. You can also find out the time-frame and number of contributions by a particular author.
The Advanced Search tab enables you to search single or multiple periodical titles. You can search by author, article type, time period, and also by the gender and nationality of contributors.
How to cite the Curran Index:
Database: The Curran Index, eds. Lara Atkin and Emily Bell. 2017-present. curranindex.org.
Entry: ‘[Page Title].’ The Curran Index, eds. Lara Atkin and Emily Bell. [URL], [date of access]


Dr. Martin Luther King is one of
the most significant leaders in U.S. history. He was a man who
lived —and died— for the bold realization of our Country's founding
edict, that all men are created equal.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by
Listen to the "I have a dream..." speech (real audio)
Learning guides from Teach with
Movies are available for the following...
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Ghosts of Mississippi
The Long Walk Home
Roots (vol 1)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
say to you today my friends, even though we face the
difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a
dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American
dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise
up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
— MLK, 1963
Martin Luther King
Jr., "The Peaceful Warrior"
American civil rights leader (1929-68)
"I have a
that my four little
children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the
content of their character.
Legacy of Vision: Social Justice for Every American
The Reverend Martin Luther King,
Jr., Ph.D. was a Nobel Laureate, Baptist Minister
activist. He is one of the most significant leaders
in U.S. history and in the modern history of
nonviolence, and is considered a
martyr by many people around the world
In 1954, King became the pastor of the
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
He was a leader of the 1955
Montgomery bus boycott, which began when
Rosa Parks refused to cede her seat to a white
person. Dr. King was arrested during this campaign,
which ended with a
United States Supreme Court decision outlawing
racial segregation on intrastate buses.
King was an adherent of the
philosophies of nonviolent
civil disobedience used successfully in India by
Mohandas Ghandi. King correctly identified that
organized, non-violent protest against the racist system
of Southern separation known as
Jim Crow, when violently attacked by racist
authorities and covered extensively by the media, would
create a wave of pro-Civil Rights public opinion, and
this was the key relationship which brought Civil Rights
to the forefront of American politics in the early
King is perhaps most
famous for his "I
Have a Dream" speech,
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
He organized and led marches for the
fair hiring, and other basic civil rights. Most of
these rights were later successfully enacted into
United States law with the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
King wrote and spoke frequently,
drawing on his long experience as a
preacher. His "Letter
from Birmingham Jail", written in 1963, is a
passionate statement of his crusade for
justice. On October 14, 1964, King became the
youngest recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him for
leading non-violent resistance to end racial prejudice
in the United States.
Since his death, King's reputation has
grown to become one of the most revered names in
American history to the point where he is compared with
Abraham Lincoln. Supporters of this idea remark that
both were leaders credited with strongly advancing
human rights against poor odds in a nation divided
against itself on the issue - and were assassinated in
part for it.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. All images
are in the Public Domain.
"Injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere."
can not drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish
together as fools."
are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many
religions—bound together by a single unity, the unity of
freedom and equality. Whoever seeks to set one nationality
against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities."
hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined
nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and
all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the
most shocking and inhumane.
as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and
immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral
ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it
seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his
understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to
convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred
rather than love.


The mission of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District is to foster a culture of excellence that instills a passion for a lifetime of continuous achievement in every student.
District Library and Media Services Mission Statement
As an integral part of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD learning community, the library and media services program provides guidance, resources, and collaborative instruction for students and staff to gain the skills necessary to become effective, life-long learners and ethical and creative users of ideas and information.
District Library and Media Services Vision Statement
The EMS ISD library team will create inviting environments with state of the art resources, facilities, and equipment where students, staff, and community members are actively engaged in collaborative learning endeavors.
It's a GREAT day to be a PIONEER!


What we’re doing to improve accessibility
As we build new websites and digital services, we strive to ensure that they are accessible and comply with the current legislation. We also review and audit older sites to identify what changes we need to make to improve accessibility.
The Open University website development process has stages that test the usability and accessibility of new and updated platforms, activities and services against WCAG 2.1. As well as working with external consultants, an internal Accessibility and Usability Evaluation team helps to offer guidance in this area and to ensure that accessibility and usability are embedded in the design and development process for developers and content creators.
These activities ensure that we are meeting and responding to the changing digital requirements of our students and users as well as developing and delivering systems and websites which are as accessible and usable as possible.
The Open University is committed to accessibility and demonstrates this in a number of different ways:
The Securing Greater Accessibility team (SeGA) was set up in 2010 as a university-wide initiative to promote accessibility and inclusive practice and support students and staff. SeGA offers training and guidance in accessibility in teaching and learning and oversees forums and activities for a wider community of practice and research. SeGA also runs a network of over 50 accessibility champions and coordinators, who work as points of contact on accessibility queries within their respective academic areas.
Staff at the Open University are offered on-demand accessibility training in a variety of topics to support them to carry out their roles. This will be complemented in the future by the introduction of bespoke, mandatory training in accessibility for all staff to complete in order to further embed accessibility good practice.
The Open University Library [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] provides wide-ranging support to students with disabilities and specific requirements. As well as working with students directly to offer guidance in accessible resources, the Open University Library staff work with publishers to help improve the accessibility of their products.
The Open University aims to make studying as accessible as possible and a range of adjustments and support are available. A well-established disability support team provides guidance for students and arranges for students to have support when accessing digital content online or alternatively, access to a variety of formats. A wealth of resources for information and guidance in enabling students to study as effectively as possible in the digital environment are available via the help centre.


Warning: This listing comprises Fireplace & Blood spoilers, probably for Home of the Dragon Season 2.Ser Criston Cole seems in 9 of the ten episodes of Dragon HouseThe primary season of, a exceptional feat contemplating the present spans many years, characters and actors. Nonetheless, Ser Criston is likely one of the most essential characters within the story and a vital determine within the Dance of the Dragons.
Performed by Fabien Frankel, Ser Criston is an advanced character. And whereas the present does a terrific job of translating him to the display, it could’t assist however pass over a number of key particulars about him that can be acquainted to e book readers and followers alike. Fireplace & Blood.
Ser Criston was the son of a steward
Like many characters in A track of ice and fireplace, Ser Criston Cole rose above his submit. Nonetheless, not a lot is understood about his background or formative years. Followers know he was born in 82 AC; his father was a steward at Blackhaven, the seat of Home Dondarrion within the steps of Dornish.
Cole’s father is just not named within the books and little is revealed about his household. He was clearly educated since childhood, however it isn’t identified who his lecturers had been. Cole had a pure present for sword combating, given he received the Maidenpool scrum aged 22.
Ser Criston is essentially the most well-known member of Home Cole
Ser Criston mentions in episode three of the collection how his knighthood and eventual rise to the Kingsguard was a very powerful factor that ever occurred to the Cole home, and he wasn’t kidding. The little home was apparently a vassal of Home Dondarrion within the Dornish Marches, itself sworn to Home Baratheon.
Neither the Coles nor the Dondarrions are a part of the most important houses of Dragon House, which explains the previous’s lack of relevance in Westeros. Nonetheless, Cole’s actions would have been sufficient to make him a well-known, or relatively notorious, member of any home within the kingdom, particularly since he finally turns into Hand of the Type within the books.
Home Cole is sort of extinct by the point GOT begins
Home Cole disappears from the historical past books after Ser Criston Cole’s lengthy and pivotal intervention within the Dance of the Dragons. It isn’t identified in the event that they remained within the Dornish Steps, however they fell into oblivion and nearly disappeared through the years.
Nonetheless, inflexible game of thrones fans will know two members of Home Cole intervene within the occasions of A track of ice and fireplace. Brothers Dick and Will Cole are two exiles serving the Golden Firm, although it’s unclear whether or not they’re precise members of Home Cole or runaways who adopted the household identify.
Ser Criston & Rhaenyra
Dragon Home leaves completely little question in regards to the nature of the connection between Cole and Rhaenyra Targaryen. The present confirms that that they had an affair that lasted a substantial period of time and ended badly when he requested her to run away with him, and he or she rejected him.
The books take a much less direct method to their relationship. Mushroom claims that it was Rhaenyra who unsuccessfully seduced Cole, whereas Septon Eustace argues that Cole adopted his TV counterpart’s steps. The end result is similar, nevertheless, as Cole dumped her and have become a staunch supporter of Alicent Hightower and the Greens.
Ser Criston had a nickname
In his story, game of thrones had several popular characters with nicknamesfrom the Queen of Thorns to the Knight of Flowers. Dragon Home additionally options a number of characters with nicknames that outline them, together with Ser Criston. Within the books, he turns into generally known as “Kingmaker” after inserting Aegon the Conqueror’s crown on Aegon II and declaring him King of the Seven Kingdoms.
“Kingmaker” is a relatively nice nickname, particularly contemplating Cole’s actions earlier than and through the Dance of the Dragons. His repute has tarnished through the years, however he was a feared, if not revered, determine all through his life.
The Kingmaker and the Bonebreakers
On the finish of the day, Dragon House leaves out many details about Ser Harwin Strong, together with his nickname, Breakbones. The knight shared a years-long affair with bride Rhaenyra Targaryen, fathering three kids along with her. Ser Criston and Ser Harwin confronted off through the match to have a good time the marriage of Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor Velaryon. Throughout their match, Cole broke Sturdy’s collarbone and broke his elbow, resulting in Mushroom calling him “Brokenbones”.
The stage did not make it to the present, however their animosity was loud and clear. The books give the impression that the incident was a part of the fray, however given their connection to Rhaenyra, Cole’s actions seem like geared toward hurting and presumably killing Ser Harwin.
Ser Criston has been energetic within the Inexperienced Council
Though the present casts Cole as a passive participant within the inexperienced council, the books have him play a extra decisive function. Cole and Alicent are those to name the council and declare Aegon king, with Cole strongly opposing Rhaenyra and Daemon and calling his eldest sons bastards. Cole additionally kills Lyman Beesbury, the one Rhaenyra supporter on the Little Council, and arrests all black supporters in King’s Touchdown.
Dragon Home makes Criston extra of a servant than a plotter, obeying Alicent with out query and finishing up her needs. Nonetheless, the books depict a extra crafty and energetic function within the warfare, making him a extra harmful risk and a number one member of the Ruthless Greens.
Ser Criston turns into Hand of the King
Extra time, A song of ice and fire has many mighty hands of the king, however Ser Criston is just not considered one of them. He assumes the place after Aegon II, annoyed with Otto Hightower’s choices, fires him.
Cole proves to be an ineffective hand. His warrior mentality leads him to undertake an unnecessarily aggressive method, abandoning all sense of diplomacy and pragmatism in favor of open confrontation. Rhaenyra and Daemon outwitted him a couple of occasions, resulting in King’s Touchdown’s downfall. Nonetheless, Cole stays in workplace, primarily because of his shut relationship with Aemond Targaryen, who acts because the de facto chief of the inexperienced.
Ser Criston and Queen Alicent
Ser Criston and Queen Alicent Hightower have some of the essential relationships in Dragon Home. They’re allies within the collection and within the e book, however the nature of their relationship stays ambiguous in each. They appear to have a strictly platonic dynamic, however there are hints that their connection may run deeper.
Nonetheless, nothing is definite. The books describe them as staunch allies who bond over their shared ambitions and intense dislike for Rhaenyra. The present introduces a barely extra sophisticated relationship, blurring their emotions for one another and permitting for hypothesis; nevertheless, it’s unlikely that something will occur between them.
Ser Criston’s Dividing Legacy
Like many different characters in Westerosi historical past, Ser Criston Cole has a divisive legacy. Many take into account him a staunch supporter of custom and heritage and defend his actions through the Dance of the Dragons. Others view him as a traitor, a despised lover who risked the dominion out of non-public grudge in opposition to Rhaenyra.
Cole is a controversial character, thought of to embody the perfect and worst facets of the Kingsguard. Nonetheless, he’s additionally fascinating and a vital participant within the Dance of the Dragons; its illustration in Dragon Home confirms his infamy.
#Particulars #E book #Followers #Home #Dragons #Ser #Criston #Cole


Born in Istanbul in 1950. Doctorat d’État, Université Paris III, 1987 ; Ph. D., Université Paris VIII, 1978 ; M.A., Université Paris VIII, 1973; B.A., Tel-Aviv University, 1972. Postdoctoral fellow of the Lady Davies Fellowship Trust and of the Yad Hanadiv / Barecha Foundation at the Department of the History of the Jewish People, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1988-1989. Research Professor, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 1989-2000. Professor of Modern Jewish History, École pratique des hautes études, Sorbonne, since 2000.
In 2002, Esther Benbassa founded the Alberto Benveniste Center, devoted to the study of Sephardi culture and history and to the comparative history of minorities, and she has been its director since then. She is currently running, with Sébastien Ledoux, a research group on history, memory and oblivion.
Recent invitations abroad : Fellow, Collegium Budapest, 2002; Fellow, Nertherlands Institute for Advanced Study, 2004-2005; Guest Professor, New York University, sept.-oct. 2008. E. Benbassa is regularly invited to lecture in North-American and European universities.
- Modern and contemporary history of the Jews in Islamic lands, especially in the Ottoman Empire.
- History of the Jews in France.
- History of Zionism.
- History of representations and memory.
- Comparative history of minorities in the contemporary era.
- Esther Benbassa is currently working on Jewish intellectuals in XXth century France.
Esther Benbassa published or edited about twenty books, that were translated into a dozen of languages. Among her publications in English : Haim Nahum. A Sephardic Rabbi in Politics, 1892-1923, Tuscaloosa, The University of Alabama Press, 1995; A Sephardi Life in Southeastern Europe. The Autobiography and Journal of Gabriel Arié, 1863-1939, Seattle & London, University of Washington Press, 1998 (with Aron Rodrigue); History of Sephardic Jewry, XIVth-XXth Centuries, Berkeley, University of California Press, 2000 (with A. Rodrigue); The Jews of France. A History from Antiquity to the Present, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1999, 2nd ed. (softcover), 2001 ; Israël, the Impossible Land, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2003 (with Jean-Christophe Attias); The Jews and their Future. A Conversation on Jewish Identities, London, Zed Books, 2004 (with J.-C. Attias) ; The Jew and the Other, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2004 (with J.-C. Attias); Suffering as Identity, London – New-York, Verso, 2010.
Courses taught at the Ecole pratique des hautes études
Europeans, Jews and Intellectuels : Exiles of Modern Times (2005-2006) ; Issues of Modern and Contemporary Jewish History (2006-2007) ; Being a Jew in Islamic Lands (2007-2008) ; New Minority Solidarities : Lobbies and Community Politics (XIXth-XXth centuries) (2008-2009); Jews and Minorities in Europe in an Age of Modernization and Secularization (XVIIIth-XXth Centuries) (2009-2010); Jews and the War (2010-2011); History and Sociology of Modern Identities (2011-2012).
As an intellectual, Esther Benbassa takes an active part in the French public debate and regularly publishes articles in French newspapers and on the Internet. Especially involved in the fight against racism and discriminations, she cofounded the « Pari(s) du Vivre-Ensemble », an annual culture festival.
On October 25, 2011, Esther Benbassa was elected to the French Senate.
Awards and distinctions
- Chevalier dans l’Ordre national du mérite (2005).
- Seligmann Award against Racism, Injustice and Intolérance (2006).
- Guizot Award (bronze medal) of the Académie française for La Souffrance comme identité (2008).
- Chevalier dans l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (2011).


What do you think when you hear the term “classic theology?” Thick books? Stuffy libraries? Lectures about stuff you maybe don’t understand and can’t relate to?
I used to. But hold on. There’s amazing wisdom and insights in these old books.
Wouldn’t you like to have a guide – a friend – to help you as you explore classic theological books? Find out how they relate to our modern world? To your life?
That’s where we come in.
Theodio is a blog at theodio.com. And it’s a podcast. But it’s more than that. It’s a journey. And we’re inviting you to join us.
There’s a new chapter every week. Each one features an original audio segment of a classic book, background information to help you understand, and ways to put this old wisdom to work in your world.
Please subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.
This is the Theodio Podcast. Classic theology brought to life.


So I’ve been working my way through the Minor Prophets recently. (As an aside, it’s really unfortunate that someone named them “minor” just because they’re short. They’re really not minor at all.) You know: Obadiah, Micah, Jonah, Habakkuk, etc. All those that get relegated to the biblical “backburner”– with Leviticus of course– because they are deemed too strange, negative, or otherwise irrelevant for mainstream usage… except for the occasional couple of verses that we can pull out of context to put on Christian greeting cards or use in sermons to illustrate some other point. But that’s another topic.
The Minor Prophets (and the Majors, of course) are actually really amazing to study, and when read alongside the straight historical books in the Canon (like Chronicles and Kings), you start getting this incredible picture of the totality of what God was doing in those years. You see that several prophets were saying the same kinds of thinigs at around the same time, and in different areas. It makes sense of “Surely God does nothing without first revealing it to His servants the prohpets” (Amos 3:5). God was speaking like cray to the people… and they largely just ignored it.
Enter Habakkuk. This book is unique in that there is no straight up “oracle” to the people anywhere. There’s no part of the book that says “Hey Israel, here’s the deal…” The whole book is basically like pages from Habakkuk’s journal: his conversations with God. It is the whole conversation that forms the word from God (i.e. the book) to the people.
The basic outline goes something like this:
Part 1: Habakkuk says, “Hey Lord, what’s the deal with this?”
Part 2: God says, “Well it’s like this.”
Part 3: Habakkuk says, “Ok, got it, but that makes no sense.”
Part 4: God says, “Yep, it’s like that and here’s some more detail.”
Part 5: Habakkuk writes a worship song to praise God for who He is and what He’s done.
While there’s much that could be said about the in’s and out’s of the book, how about just this: Habakkuk had a conversation with God. Yep. He asked some hard questions… and God answered. So, he asked more hard questions… and God answered again! In the end, Habakkuk didn’t have “all the answers,” and he didn’t understand all of qhat God was doing in his time, but he had heard enough to worship. Hmmm… Authentic conversations with God lead to worship. In spite of struggle. In spite of injustice. In spite of unresolved questions.
What about us? Are we conversing with God? Are we being authentic?


Artful dispatches from the places where we find ourselves
Joyce H. Munro
Joyce H. Munro has returned to a first love—creative writing—after a career in college administration. She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Her articles on educational leadership and professional development have appeared in academic journals and her books have been published by McGraw-Hill, Dushkin, and ETS. Her creative writing can be found in Crosscurrents, Hamilton Arts & Letters, Boomerlit, As You Were: The Military Review, ArtAscent, Connections, Families, and Perspectives. In 2015, she was awarded first place in the Keffer Writing Contest of Families journal and her short story, “Avoch Bay,” was short-listed for the Galtelli Literary Prize.


Photos courtesy of Pat Bartie, Lori Frisch and Dennis Thomsen
Learn a bit more about the history of Sumner, Iowa, going as far back as 1869!
Get information on what to do while you're here, places to stay, eat, etc.
Sumner is the best kept secret in Northeast Iowa.
Nestled in Northeast Iowa, Sumner is located in Bremer, County along Highway 93. The community is conveniently located within an hour's drive of five colleges and universities.
Sumner is full of amenities that are standard in big city living, but come with a small town feel. The community prides itself on its safe, family-friendly environment... complete with well-kept homes, manufacturing/jobs, many churches and parks and a newly reconstructed hospital.
Sumner offers a modern public library and an aquatic center, a local grocery store, two convenience stores, several specialty shops, health care resources, a volunteer fire department, a local ambulance service... and the list goes on and on!!!
Sumner is committed to education, business growth and opportunities for all. Surrounded by rich farmland, Sumner is a short drive to bigger cities, but offers the peace and quiet of small town living.
Whether you're just passing through or coming for a visit, we're positive you'll find Sumner to be as warm and friendly as all of its citizens do.
Sumner... a place to call home, a place to work, a place to shop and relax. Sumner truly is The City with The Future!!!
The secret's out... come visit us!!!


M/Sgt. Prof. Daniel Mateo Fajardo has arranged and composed a number of remarkably enchanting music. However, there is one that stands out from the rest. Furthermore, this music has a captivating story to tell.
Veteranos de la Revolución (Veterans of the Revolution) is a masterpiece composed by M/Sgt. Prof. Daniel Mateo Fajardo, dedicated to General Emilio Aguinaldo.
Inspiration Behind The Masterpiece
Daniel Mateo Fajardo himself is a revoluciónario (revolutionary) who took part in the revolution against the Spaniards in 1896. You can read more on the detailed presentation of this historical account in the post written by his great-granddaughter, Liz Fajardo, who found his manuscript during her research on the maestro and the history of Banda de Las Piñas (Las Piñas Band).
In the original manuscript of the musical score of Veteranos de la Revolución, you can find the notes, “Dedicado al Gral. Emilio Aguinaldo – Jefe Supremo de la Revolución de Filipinas“. This translates in English to, “Dedicated to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo – Supreme Chief of the Philippine Revolution”.
Structure of the Music
Veteranos de la Revolución is a marcha patriotica or patriotic march similar to the works of John Philip Sousa, dubbed as “The March King”. Moreover, he was known for revolutionizing and standardizing American march music in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is rarely heard and is undeniably unique. Moreover, the style of the music is a trend during the late years of the Spanish period up to the end of the American colonial regime. Thus, the influence of western romanticism of the late 19th century is evident in parts of the composition. In addition, the music also takes inspiration from the national anthem of the Philippines, “Lupang Hinirang” which was composed by Julián Felipe in 1898.
Origins of Marcha Patriotica (Patriotic March)
Patriotic march music or march music, in general, originated from the military. Most often, soldiers sang songs as they marched towards the frontlines. That is why marching melodies were essential to troops because they had to turn to each other for a source of entertainment. Besides, music brings people together to find joy in previously isolated and bleak situations.
Many march music recycles melodies from original popular or traditional music, rewritten by soldiers. American march music, for example, originated from European composers. They borrowed from the military music of the Ottoman Empire that existed since the 16th century.
Patriotic music is a part of the culture and history of the Philippines most especially because we have experienced fighting our way to freedom through three eras of conquistadors. Thus, it enkindles feelings of glory and honor for the country’s forefathers, heroes, and calls for national unity.
Importance of the Music
Daniel Mateo Fajardo is arguably one of the first generation Filipino composers. Indeed, his masterpiece “Veteranos de la Revolución” is a testament to how Filipino composers struggled with the invasion of Western musical culture in the late 19th century, taking over them, but at the same time creatively infusing their new works with elements of tradition and local folk vibes, Filipino musical events and personalities.
The Filipino composers of his time not only mastered Spanish and American musical idioms and techniques (a one-way process) but also negotiated a space of artistic freedom (a sign of modernity) in which they projected a unique identity.
Evolution of Philippine Music
The cultural exchange in music shows contemporary social experiences. As times changed, so did our culture and choice of music. And so, we shaped ourselves into a magnificent work of art — our identity, a beautiful symphony of cultures. We may have adapted a myriad of foreign ways, yet we still incorporate details that resonate with our Filipino heritage.
Daniel Mateo Fajardo and his Legacy
Thus, the music of Veteranos de la Revolución is a hidden gem that Daniel Fajardo’s family and beloved band protect. It is a piece of exclusive music played by Las Piñas Band in honor of their founder, M/Sgt. and Prof. Daniel Mateo Fajardo, the composer himself. With special permission, the University of the Philippines Symphonic Band performs this music in special events. You can find Veteranos de la Revolución in the University of the Philippines Symphonic Band’s 2017 recording, Saysay himig. Volume 3, Ensemble music: an anthology of transcultural Filipino music 1880-1941.


[collection name]: Huangshan Tangkou by Zhuang Yanjiang
[Specification]: 66 x 136 cm
Zhuang Yanjiang, born in Baoding, Hebei Province, is the master of hanmoxuan and a painter in France. Zhuang Yanjiang, a national first-class artist and a member of China Artists Association in Hebei Province, is a master of Chinese painting art, Mr. Huang Zhou. Influenced by the style of the door and local culture, he has been fond of painting since he was a child. He has traveled all over the famous mountains, rivers, mountains, mountains, and rivers. He has visited scholars and scholars, wrote and communicated with them, loved mountains and rivers, and worked hard for more than ten years, and finally achieved great success. Although there are mountains and rivers at the bottom of the cloud pen, he is in his heart Hidden in the valley. He is good at landscapes, figures, flowers and birds, and is good at ink figures. It pays attention to the tradition, the innovation of the ancient teachers, the succinct brush and ink, the combination of work and writing, the combination of spirit and shape, and the exquisite and elegant style of painting. He is good at various styles and styles of calligraphy.
He has participated in many domestic and foreign calligraphy and painting exhibitions and won awards. In August 2000, he was invited to hold a personal painting exhibition at China Contemporary Art Museum in Beijing, which was highly praised as "exquisite brushwork and ink painting". In 2011, he held a solo exhibition in Song zhuangshidong Gallery, a joint exhibition in Baoding gulianchi in 2013, a joint exhibition in Beijing Zhonghai AoXiang Culture Co., Ltd. in spring 2017, he was invited to attend the joint exhibition in xiong'an New Area in 2017, and he is now the vice president of Beijing Calligraphy and painting Association, a special member of the Compilation Committee of Chinese modern calligraphy and painting masters, senior honorary consultant of Singapore Academy of art, honorary Association of Jizhong poetry, calligraphy and Painting Association President, vice president, director of xiong'an Artists Association, director of xiong'an Calligraphers Association.
Mr. Huang Zhou, a master of Chinese painting art, was influenced by the style of the door and local culture. He loved painting since he was a child. He walked on famous mountains and rivers, collected wind and sketched, visited literati and scholars, wrote and communicated, loved mountains and rivers, and worked hard for more than ten years. In a day, there will be great success. Although there are rivers and mountains at the bottom of the cloud pen, there are hills and gullies in his heart.
Picture Zhongshan stone first used strong and round lines with sharp lines to hook up the outline and venation, then used thick and thin, dry and wet ink with numerous textured and dense points, with ochre color. The old trees of Cangsong are written in the ancient seal script. The strokes are simple and vigorous, hard and soft. The composition is plump, the ink is bright, and the charm is endless. The top right corner of the picture is from the Tang mouth of Huangshan Mountain. The 36 peaks, Tiandu, Lianhua and Qianhai scenic spots are all entered from the Tang mouth.
Mr. Zhuang Yanjiang is easy to be scattered and trivial with point painting, easy to be blurred and flat with surface painting, easy to capture the image and movement of objects with lines, and most suitable to play the characteristics of brush, ink, rice paper and silk. It fully embodies the unique artistic language of Chinese painters, is the soul of Chinese painting, and is also the author's catharsis in lyrical expression.
Mr. Zhuang Yanjiang's landscape painting has a history of mountains and mountains, and water is all active. He can not only feel the beautiful and elegant south, clear mountains and clear water, relaxed and happy, but also feel the thick mountains and heavy water of the northern painting style, which is magnificent and heroic. He is good at understanding the magic and beauty of nature, refining the real scene and the real situation, and expressing the sentiment of the brush and ink.
[collection name]: The beautiful mountains and rivers by Yao Zhihua
[Specification]: 110 x 285 cm
Mr. Huang Binhong, the master of traditional Chinese painting, once said such a famous saying: "Song painting is like wine, Yuan painting is like alcohol. After Yuan Dynasty, it gradually becomes like wine and water. The closer the era is, the more water will be added. It's really worth tasting. Chinese landscape painting is simple and gradually rich. The forms of expression of landscape painting have been created and accumulated in various times. It is carried out in the process of inheritance. It has a long history, outstanding achievements and unique style, and is well-known in the world. The era calls for the change of landscape painting. People sing praises for the majestic nature of mountains and rivers, for the vast beauty of beautiful rivers and mountains, and for creating various forms of expression. Understanding of mountains and rivers, internalization of images, in the use of pen and ink, brilliant. Green landscape painting, splendor of color rendering people's love for the motherland.
Yao Zhihua is a landscape painter who inherits the tradition from his predecessor Gao Gu. His works let us feel the new ideas in literature and the visual impact is very strong, especially the recent gold foil landscape painting. At the same time of inheritance, it also creates a new realm. It proves that the spiritual culture of the Chinese nation has infinite vitality among artists with a sense of the times.
Landscape painting contains the inner cultivation consciousness of taking mountains as morality and water as nature. It also contains the traditional spirit that some ancient Chinese scholars are willing to stay away from officialdom and indulge in mountains and rivers. In addition to the pursuit of beauty, the higher level of Chinese landscape painting is the unity of man and nature. It describes the magnificent mountains and rivers of the motherland, which are majestic and precipitous, misty and boundless, leisurely fairyland, shifting mountains and rivers, sending feelings to mountains and rivers, and forgetting things. It expresses the atmosphere and creative feelings of wisdom, benevolence, endless growth and continuous operation.
Through the detailed interpretation of the works, we can realize an inner world that loves life and nature, and the works have strong contemporaneity and readability. With his heroic character, sagacious thinking, profound skill and poet's temperament, the author has well transformed into modern people's recognition of aesthetic concept, the integration of natural image and heart image, and created a new pattern of contemporary green landscape painting. The new thinking he expressed proved once again that the spiritual culture of the Chinese nation has infinite vitality among artists with a sense of the times. His achievements are worthy of our encouragement and affirmation.
Enrich art life and transfer art value! If you are interested in this , please contact Tingjie Network Service Co., Ltd!
Sharing is a virtue, sharing is a joy, learn to share, happy others!


In the sequel of the Ashanti MWendo series, we embark on a captivating journey with Ashanti as she navigates the complexities of leading two tech giants, Avant-Garde Metaverse (AGM) and Uwazi, while balancing the demands of motherhood and partnership.
The tapestry of Ashanti’s life is richly woven with diverse threads, each essential to her life’s journey. Her husband, Ayo, and twin 12-year-old children, Carmel and Caleb, who live on the spectrum with exceptional gifts, provide her with a steadfast anchor of love and support.
The Dr. Dave Duka eBooks are available as ePub books. The following are the options for reading Dr. Dave Duka’s ePub books.
For Windows and Mac:
- Calibre: A powerful, free eBook management tool that supports ePub files and many other formats.
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- Google Play Books: An app pre-installed on many Android devices that supports ePub files.
For iOS (iPhone and iPad):
- Apple Books: The default eBook reader on iOS devices seamlessly integrates with the Apple ecosystem.
- KyBook 3 Reader: This versatile eBook reader supports ePub and other formats, offers a customizable reading experience, and provides access to various online eBook catalogs.
- Kobo: Most Kobo eReaders natively support the ePub format.
- Nook: Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReaders also natively support ePub files.
- Kindle Paperwhite: This is not ideal for full ePub support as it uses its proprietary format, but many ePubs can still be read.


History, poetry and songs
Northern Ireland has been a thorn in England’s side for hundreds of years. The most rebellious part of Catholic Ireland, the English King subdued it by massive colonization in the seventeenth century. And that was by no means the end of the story: even today the resulting conflict has caused by far the largest problem in the Brexit negotiations. Bruce Mathers, himself a native of Northern Ireland, will describe the tragedy, comedy and beauty of the country in a selection of its songs and poetry and images of its towns and countryside.
Freitag, 28. August 2020, 20 Uhr
City Kirche Zug, Bundesstrasse, 6300 Zug


William (Bill) Cooper was the first person to leak
the story about Area 51 re: UFOs. He was eventually killed. He wrote a book
based on his discoveries, and it’s called “Behold a Pale Horse.” I have found
the videos on YT & I have posted them along with “Project Red Light II,”
the very first video made on this topic of UFOs.
I found a copy of the book, "Behold a Pale Horse." It's a PDF file, so please give it time to load.


Margaret Laverne Mott
April 06, 1926 - March 12, 2009
In loving memory of Margaret Laverne MOTT, resident of Froude, then Creelman, then Regina. She passed away on March 12, 2009. Her love, generosity, and support are remembered fondly by Morris, Darwin, Vernon, and members of their families.
Published on March 12, 2019


Pastor Curt has spent almost three decades successfully planting campus ministries on some of America’s hardest to reach university and college campuses. You’d think all that time on campus would turn him into a boring egghead – nothing could be further than from the truth. Curt communicates in a hilarious style that will make you laugh hard and then think even harder. Most of all, he will challenge you to find grace inspired ways to apply truth in everyday life.
Becoming a Romans 12 Christian
In the first 11 chapters of the book of Romans, Paul covers all kinds of doctrines: the righteousness of God, the sin of man, the worthlessness of works, the helplessness of the law, justification by faith, the resurrection, peace with God, standing in grace, the promise of glory, the love of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the death of Christ, the atonement, union with Christ, the two natures, the effect of sin, sanctification apart from the law, the work of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of election, the doctrine of predestination, the doctrine of eternal security, the doctrine of God's faithfulness and... how to get a Costco card. These are just a few of the things covered in the first 11 chapters - all the essential fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith.


Welcome to the Malta Budget Highlights for 2023. This budget introduces a number of measures aimed at sustaining economic growth and limiting the effects of inflation which is being experienced globally.
Download the full document here.
NO. 11, L-UFFICCJI,
MISRAH 28 TA' FRAR 1883,
BIRKIRKARA BKR 1501
Mon - Fri : 09:00 - 17:00


I recently finished reading the latest edition—the 30th anniversary edition—of “On Writing Well,” by William Zinsser. After Strunk & White’s “Elements of Style” it is perhaps the most influential book on writing non-fiction of the 20th century. And it is the book that made me think that maybe, just maybe, writing non-fiction could be as interesting as writing fiction.
I’ve tried to re-read Zinsser’s book every five to 10 years, and each time I do I feel like the boy who cleaned Michelangelo’s brushes. I may be using the master’s tools, but I’m nowhere near the master’s level—nor ever will be.
But Zinsser’s advice is so apt for the kind of writing that we do for our clients. Zinsser is one of the great proponents of the minimalist writing school. He famously said, “Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn’t be there.”
Here at Ellcom, we live by that advice every day. We know that too many words will obscure our client’s message, not clarify it. Unnecessary detail will drive the reader away, while a compact, contextual narrative will draw the reader in to our client’s story and leave a positive impression.
It is much more difficult to be concise than to be wordy. And we don’t make things easy on ourselves.
Zinnser, who has been writing since 1946 and to this day practices and teaches his craft, also recognizes the difficulty of wrangling a herd of words until you get them to say what you want them to say.
My favorite quote from the latest edition of “On Writing Well” is his comment on the fact that, unlike fiction writers, non-fiction writers are beholden to the literal truth. He says, “Non-fiction writers…are infinitely accountable: to the facts, to the people they interviewed, to the locale of their story and to the events that happened there. They are also accountable to their craft and all its perils of excess and disorder: losing the reader, confusing the reader, not keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end.”
This is a responsibility that the staff writers at Ellcom take very seriously. And if you’d like to learn more about the craft of writing, I can recommend no other book so unreservedly as “On Writing Well.”


2013 McDonald's St. Patrick's Day Parade and Shamrock Festival Schedule
McDonald's St. Patrick's Day Parade Schedule
The Parade kicks off at 11am and will run from Jefferson Street to Campbell Avenue and end at Williamson Road.
Shamrock Festival Schedule
The Shamrock Festival will be located at Wells Fargo Plaza, on the corner of Salem Avenue and Market Street (across from the City Market Building).
|10am||Shamrock Festival opens to the public|
|10am to 4pm||Family activities in Market Square|
|10am to 10:20am||WARPIPE on the Main Stage|
|10:30am to 12:15pm||Beggar's Circus on the Main Stage|
|12:30pm to 2pm||Superhold on the Main Stage|
|2pm to 2:20pm||WARPIPE on the Main Stage|
|2:30pm||McDonald's St. Patrick's Day Parade Awards on the Main Stage|
|3pm to 5pm||Madrone on the Main Stage|
Craft vendors will be located around the City Market Building on Wall Street and Market Street.
Corned Beef and Co.'s Celtic Celebration
Corned Beef and Co.'s Celtic Celebration will be held on Jefferson Street, between Salem Avenue and Campbell Avenue.
|10am to 11am||Celtic Session|
|12:30pm to 1:30pm||Second Wynde and Guests|
|1:30pm to 2:10pm||Celtibillies & Jig Or Not|
|2:10pm to 2:50pm||Second Wynde and Guests|
|2:50pm to 3:15pm||Beggar's Circus|
|3:15pm to 3:35pm||WARPIPE|
|3:35pm to 4:15pm||Roanoke Traditional Irish Session|
|4:15pm to 5pm||Second Wynde and Guests|
St. Patrick's Day at the Main Library
|10am to 11am||St. Patrick's Day crafts will be set up on tables outside for children to "make and take" before the Parade|
|12pm to 2pm||Maggie Moo's will be serving up free ice cream for all to enjoy! (Including a "green" flavor or two!)|
|12pm||Movie showing of Shrek 2, the beloved green ogre|
|12:30pm to 2pm||Last Trip Home is a duo that will perform updated traditional Irish music on Uilleann pipes, Irish flute, guitar, and mandolin|
Where should you park? Check out our interactive parking map here!


William Sells is a former newspaper journalist turned freelance marketing writer, and associate producer for Maryland Public Television. A published poet, songwriter, and short-story writer, he lives with his wife Yovi and their three daughters amidst the sprawling green parklands of Columbia, Maryland between Washington DC and Baltimore.
Michael S. Bracco is a graphic novel author and illustrator of The Creators, the award-winning Novo series, and Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates. Along with his comic work, Michael owns and operates “Spaghetti Kiss”, a craft company that features his original science fiction and fantasy illustrations. In addition to being a member of “Super Art Fight,” a performance art group, Michael teaches art to middle school students. He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Shawna, their daughter, Amelia, and their cats, Mexico and Stranger.
“Here we go again, with, ‘The trees are disappearing, the trees are disappearing!’ Come on, Leaf, no one else believes this fairytale except you and your hero father. Look around us. We don’t see anything but trees.”
Everyone believes that Leaf and his visionary father have lost their minds when they say that people are cutting down the trees—the primordial, sturdy trees that have sheltered their colony throughout the ages and stood strong against all enemies. Even Leaf ’s principal has tried to get him to doubt his father, who has sailed far beyond their tree home and seen the devastation in the mysterious Lands Unknown.
But the humans aren’t the leaf colony’s only concern, they quickly realize. When their ancient enemies, the ants, attack their tree home with three massive armies (complete with wolf-spiders, leaf-cutting caterpillars, and hornets as air support), the leaf colony must decide who they should believe, who they should follow, and whether they should stay and defend their families, community, and ancient homeland.
“It’s a dangerous world out there, young Eric’s son,” he’s told, but twelve-year-old Leaf and his friends Garland, Twig, and Nut, along with Leaf ’s nemesis, Shady and his cohorts Rake and Stump, must work together and use their wits, their swords, and their bows and arrows to help their colony make the right decisions and battle the ants.
Leaf has always dreamed of having an adventure like this, but it is one with unknown dangers and unlikely friends around every bloom in a branch, every bend in a brook, and every twig boat in the bay. As his mother and father, friends, and entire colony get caught up in fighting the ants, will they make the right decision—or will the ants, and humans, take away everything they have always counted on?
Join Leaf and his friends as they experience the adventure of a lifetime, discover the true meaning of family, friendship, and community, and help nurture their forest realm in this exciting adventure by author William Sells.


I study for my finals from various sources, the Internet, class notes and some reference books. This time though, I had this Computer Graphics, by Sanjesh Pawale, Techmax Publications. The books from this publishing house are everything what a Mumbai University guy needs to study for exam. Well, not exactly, but that’s how most see this book as.
So when I was reading it, I noticed that much of what I read in the book was something I already read someplace else. A quick browser history lookup revealed that the stuff were taken from Wikipedia. Wait, let me rephrase it, the stuff were copied and pasted from Wikipedia, including the text, images and caption.
For your information, the content of Wikipedia is licensed under creative commons attribution share-alike 3.0. The license states that the usage is unrestricted. even for commercial use as long as appropriate credits are given and indications of modifications are made. Moreover, the content, modified or original, must be distributed under the same license.
But there’s a bummer. The content copied by Techmax shows no attribution, no credits to Wikipedia or it’s authors, and the worst, they have copyrighted the book under their name and it’s totally restricted.
Here is a piece of text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights
To re-distribute text on Wikipedia in any form, provide credit to the authors either by including a) a hyperlink (where possible) or URL to the page or pages you are re-using, b) a hyperlink (where possible) or URL to an alternative, stable online copy which is freely accessible, which conforms with the license, and which provides credit to the authors in a manner equivalent to the credit given on this website, or c) a list of all authors. (Any list of authors may be filtered to exclude very small or irrelevant contributions.)
So it is mandatory for TechMax to provide a backlink to the webpage they are lifting the content from. At least a bibliography at the end of the book. The second part to this is copyleft/share-alike policy. To quote,
If you make modifications or additions to the page you re-use, you must license them under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 or later.
Hence, Techmax is also violating this by copyrighting the content under their own restricting license. They should consider revising their license.
And finally, as far as the students are concerned, why not just take a little more effort and learn from the web instead of a printed version of the web.
Edit. A little proof of what I am talking about. The content in the image in copyrighted by *cough* Techmax *cough* and Wikipedia.
As I said, this is just an instance. If anybody is interested, just send me a mail. I would be more than happy to provide you with more proof. Cheers!


Body By Design
Access a variety of online classes from leaders in the mindful movement field through the following links:
- The Space Halifax – This On Demand library of classes features a variety of Pilates- based workouts taught by the knowledgeable instructors from The Space: Pilates and Mindful Movement. New workouts are added each month.
- Merrithew Connect – Mindful Movement on the Go. Digital Workouts and Training, Anytime, Anywhere!
Kim Kraushar has moved her in-person classes to The Space: Pilates and Mindful Movement
Kim’s New Location:
The Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts
6199 Chebucto Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia


At Annfield Plain Junior School, we aim to prepare pupils for their next stage in education and life. We aim to develop the skills and knowledge to be life-long readers, writers and to be able to communicate effectively in a range of situations.
At Annfield Plain Junior School, we aim to make learning in English engaging and enjoyable. The teaching of English includes: speaking and listening, reading, writing, GPS (grammar, spelling and punctuation), vocabulary training; as well as handwriting. Children are encouraged to communicate their ideas through writing and speaking which includes: drama, performance, creative writing, poetry and prose. Children’s work is celebrated both in school, through display, as well as through publications and competitions.
Reading is a life skill and an integral part of English teaching; it is taught both discretely and with opportunities for reading throughout the curriculum. School uses consistent strategies to teach reading skills and fluency, in order to develop a deeper understanding of the purpose and meaning of a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, as well as developing fluency to ensure each pupil’s reading age ensures they are able to access the age-related curriculum.
At our school there are five strands to the teaching of reading:
1. The development of the fluency of reading: Fluency is the bridge from phonics to comprehension. All pupils, who are working at developing fluency of reading, access the personalised online program Reading Plus, at school and at home. Targeted pupils, who are unable to access this program, receive additional intervention such as FFT Lightning Squad reading intervention, Additional Literacy Support, Read Write Inc, Reciprocal Reading – depending on the need of each pupil. Pupils across the key stage access a school’s reading spine which includes a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts in lessons, as well as whole school texts which are linked to enjoy & achieve weeks and life skills week. In addition, each class study a class novel each term. School’s reading spine is chosen to enthuse, engage and challenge learners- all pupils use a range of genre through the key stage: poetry, children’s literature, biography, fantasy, folklore and folk tales, myths and legends, historical fiction, realistic fiction, non-fiction. Cultural capital is enhanced with the range of books used for developing both reading comprehension and reading for pleasure. It includes: classics, modern, traditional and books with morals. Books reflect current issues, cultural diversity and the interests of the pupils.
All children progress through the school’s graded home reading levels. For some pupils, needing to catch up, this may start with early reading phonics books, matched to the phase of phonics the pupil is at. Fluency of reading progresses from level 5 early readers through to level 13+, independent readers. After 13+ a pupil will be deemed to be a free reader, able to choose books from level 13+ or the school’s well-stocked library. Pupils are encouraged to read daily at home and expected to read at least 3 to 4 times a week at the minimum. Parents and carers are encouraged to hear pupils read their scheme week or reading plus online and sign the reading record in their child’s planners. Planners also have a list of suggested questions for parents to ask their child when hearing reading, to check for understanding. Parents may write any comments in the planner too. Children also take home a reading for pleasure book/magazine/newspaper, to read to themselves either from the school library or from the class stock of books.
2. Decoding and comprehension is taught in every class. All staff are trained, through Fischer Family Trust’s reading training, in using the same approach to ensure reading skills develop across the key stage using a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts, understanding each genre’s layout. Reading skills taught are: how to use effective skimming, scanning and close reading; reading to locate or infer the meaning of unfamiliar words; how to annotate text and understand the main ideas; distinguish between fact and opinion; how to make predictions; how to summarise understanding; understanding the author’s intent and inference used by the author etc. Each reading skill is taught progressively across the key stage.
For pupils with SEND and pupils needing catch up, a range of targeted interventions are used to support their learning. These sessions are delivered, in addition to their reading lessons. Additional Literacy Support (ALS), FFT Lightning Squad Reading and Read, Write Inc/ Freshstart (RWI) are used for pupils whose early reading is not fluent or who may need additional phonics support. Reciprocal Reading (guided reading) is also used for pupils who are identified as not making sufficient progress, from their assessment tests in September, February and June; this is to ensure pupils are given the opportunity to catch up.
3. Book Talk is used to support children’s ability to talk about books, develop their confidence to offer ideas and re-shape them in the light of contributions. Book Talk is delivered using the school’s reading spine. Staff encourage pupils to develop a variety of reading skills, with pupils becoming book detectives. This includes: posing and finding answers, using prior knowledge, investigating themes and deeper messages, developing inference, making predictions; as well as investigating author’s intents, characters, relationships, vocabulary and the structure of genres for fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Book Talk is delivered using school’s progression tables and supports the skills needed for written comprehension.
4. Reading for pleasure is a key aspect of developing children’s reading skills. The school library, run by pupils, is open on lunchtimes . Children may borrow books for home use or can read in the library. The well-stocked library has a range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, magazines and children’s newspapers to choose from. Various activities and competitions take place to enthuse pupils to read. We regularly invite authors, illustrators and storytellers into school, to inspire children to read for pleasure.
In class, reading for pleasure sessions are used to develop an understanding of the vast range of reading material available, in order to develop positive attitudes to reading and personal preferences. Popular authors and poets will be shared, with Book Talk used to support explanations of personal choices.
Pupils take a reading for pleasure book/comic/magazine home to read on their own, as well a scheme book which they read to parents/carers.
5. Vocabulary teaching ensures the acquisition of and command of a language rich vocabulary. This is taught both as discrete lessons and integrated into the other four aspects of teaching reading. It also supports the development of all aspects of English.
Pupils in all classes read a class novel each term, which include both classic novels and novels with specific links to cross-curricular work. In June, all classes spend a creative literacy fortnight exploring and producing work around a book. Each term, the whole school delivers work through an “Enjoy and Achieve Week”,where pupils all read the same book/texts, enjoy visitors (storyteller, magician, illustrator/author, drama teacher), produce writing, take part in maths and science challenges. In the autumn terms the theme is linked to developing environmental understanding: “Our Amazing Planet”, “Plastic Fantastic”, “Make a Difference – Inspiring Environmentalists” with visits from storyteller and author Adam Bushnell, the Environmental Agency and artist Susan Warlock in recent years. In other terms themes have included: “The Circus” with visits from illustrator & author Liz Million and circus skills workshops from Bell & Bullock; “Detective Cluedo: solving mysteries” with a visit from Yorkshire Trails, to investigate clue writing. Themes vary and often involve the production of a whole school publication, such as education trail leaflets around the village, “Our Community, Our Responsibility” and “When I Grow Up -The World Of Work” publications.
Ofsted in January 2020 stated, “Leaders have selected a wide-ranging list of texts. This challenges pupils’ thinking and encourages their thoughtful debate.”
School assesses reading on entry into a new year group, mid-year and end of year using NFER tests for Years 3,4,5 and past SATs papers for Year 6. This allows the progress of each pupil to be tracked and the identification of pupils needing interventions. Reading levels are assessed each term. Each child takes a schonell reading test annually, to analyse their progress in meeting their chronological reading age.
Reading support is offered to parents, in reading workshops, to provide support for parents/carers to help their child to read skilfully and for pleasure. In addition, opportunities change year on year, where parents can enjoy reading sessions with their children e.g. in world book day quizzes, reading afternoon teas etc.
Speaking and Listening
Speaking and listening is delivered through Philosophy for Children (P4C). This is delivered initially through discrete lessons and also through cross-curricular themes in other subjects e.g. R.E., life skills etc. All staff are trained in delivering P4C, which provides consistency across the key stage. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats are also used to aid pupil’s ability to explain their thinking. Speaking and listening progress is assessed annually through teacher assessment. For pupils needing additional social and communication support, the interventions “Talkabout” and “Socially Speaking” are used.
Writing involves the teaching of fiction, non-fiction and poetry genres. Varied resources are used: on-line scheme Wordsmith (Pearson), Jane Considine’s writing units, on line resources such as websites, current affairs programme “Newsround” and children’s newspaper “First News”, poetry textbooks. Publishing for an audience is an essential part of writing, with pupils writing for a purpose e.g. to share through displays, competitions, on the school website, in the community newsletter “Annfield Appletree”, in whole school publications such as the “When I Grow Up…Project”. Writing is assessed on entry, mid-year and end of year, through joint moderation of pupil’s independent work in books. Moderation of writing also takes place with cluster schools, to ensure it is accurate.
Grammar, punctuation and spelling
Grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) are taught, where possible, through writing and reading. There are times when discrete lessons may be appropriate and we use a variety of resources, including the No Nonsense Spelling scheme and online Spell Zone. Assessment for GPS takes place on entry, mid-year and end of year, using NFER and SATs papers. Spelling rules are taught, the content is dependent upon ability. Spellings and spelling rules are taught at least three times a week in school. Pupils are encouraged to learn spellings at home and spelling lists are sent out each term/week, depending on the class.
Handwriting is taught through Senter handwriting – a scheme of handwriting used by both Annfield Plain Infant School and ourselves, in order to provide consistency across the two key stages.
World Book Day scarecrows 2021 – can you name the book characters?


The template builder has several features to design your templates. You have the possibility to add illustration layer from the component library.
In this library you will have the choice to add an element of one of these components:
Feather - Open source icon
Twemoji - Open source emoji
Material icons - Open source icon
Undraw - Open source illustration
Add an illustration from a component
Click on the more button on the top bar
Select your desired component and insert it
A random element of the component is added, you can now change it with the switch illustration button in the right panel
You can change its color and opacity.