When three sisters come together, it's murder
Two sisters living in the greater Seattle area and one sister from Chicago teamed up to write the Cat DeLuca Mysteries (Published by Poisoned Pen Press).
The debut mystery, "Liar, Liar" introduced Cat DeLuca and her Pants On Fire Detective Agency. Liar, Liar was awarded Library Journals Best Mystery, 2010 and two inquiries for movie rights.
Larsen’s engaging second mystery, "Sticks and Stones" became available February 2012.
Larsen’s third installment in the Cat DeLuca series, “Some Like it Hot” was published in March of 2013.
Cat’s fourth adventure, Bye Bye, Love, will be released April 2015
Liar, Liar, Sticks and Stones, and Some Like It Hot are available at the Seattle Mystery Bookstore and on Amazon.
The Library Journal: Cat DeLuca is smart and charming…and is sure to appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum.
Storey Book Reviews: If you like to laugh you will love this book (Liar, Liar)…you won’t be disappointed.
Publisher's Weekly: The slangy, cartoonish style suits Pants on Fire shenanigans
Kirkus Reviews: The characters are sassy as ever
About the Books
What does a woman do when she discovers her husband is an incurable cheater? If she’s Cat DeLuca she launches the Pants On Fire Detective Agency. Now Cat does what two years of unholy matrimony taught her. She catches cheaters.
Liar, Liar (Cat DeLuca Mysteries) – September 2010
Private Investigator Cat DeLuca and her Pants on Fire Detective Agency have a reputation for catching cheaters. It’s a skill Cat mastered when married to her run-around ex, Johnnie Ricco. Armed with a camera, Cat scales balconies, dangles from hotel windows, and splashes the bare facts on 8X10 glossies. They tend to sweeten her clients’ divorce settlements.
Life takes a strange turn when a reporter for the Chicago Tribune (Rita Polansky) masquerades as a client with a liar-liar husband. Rita retains Cat to follow Chance Savino, a steamy guy with a pocketful of smuggled diamonds. The detective is hot on his heels when…
Sticks and Stones: A Cat DeLuca Mystery (Cat DeLuca Mysteries) – February 2012
After client Cleo Jones shoots her cheating husband's bum full of buckshot, he disappears, taking her money, her dog, and her sister with him. Cat promises to return the dog and money if her client stops shooting at Walter. She finds the dog and a mysterious bag full of cash, and then she finds Walter, his very dead body still warm. The cops quickly arrest Cleo for the murder of her husband. Cat is determined to prove her client's innocence and it's not an easy sell. Cat's investigation leads to…
Some Like it Hot (Cat DeLuca Mysteries) – March 2013
When an old friend buys a trenchcoat and opens his own detective agency, PI Cat DeLuca sees a train wreck. Because everything Billy Bonham knows about being a private dick, he learned from Humphrey Bogart. And that’s just enough to make him dangerous.
The bungling detective is way over his head on a case involving murder and a stolen pair of Marilyn Monroe’s dazzling diamond earrings. His outrageous client, Cristina McTigue, is pursued by men who want her dead. Five minutes after meeting the woman, Cat would cheerfully kill her too. When Billy is gunned down on the street, it’s up to Cat to save his crazy client and nail a murderer. She soon finds herself dodging bullets, knee-deep in trouble, and chasing diamonds. Before it’s over, she’ll be...
Cat’s fourth adventure, Bye Bye, Love, will be released April 2015!
About the Authors
Sisters Kari, Julianne, and Kristen write under the pen name, K.J. Larsen.
Writing a novel together was second nature for the three sisters who created their own Nancy Drew mysteries as kids.
“We live very different lives,” Kari says. “What brings us together is a voracious love of mystery, a wicked sense of humor, and the thrill of victory.”
Kari Larsen lives at the foothills of Mt. Rainier and loves hiking, stand-up comedy, and the Blues. She’s written a column for a local paper as well as numerous plays and children’s stories. She’s a mean baker and a bit like Cat’s crazy Mama. Her cannoli will drop you to your knees.
Kari is also a regular contributor at www.kidamentals.com with blogs and information on how to encourage creativity in children.
Julianne is the youngest of the six Larsen girls and spoiled as God intended. She teaches classes in organic gardening and is a gifted artist and poet. She lives on a farm with her horses, her beagle, and more four legged children than any person with good sense. Like Cat, she prefers jeans and a sweater but she cleans up nice.
Kristen is a gifted writer, weaver and actress and has appeared in plays off off Broadway. Her eyes are green like Cat’s and she’s a shoe-in for the role in the blockbuster movie to come. She lives in the Chicago area and was recently spotted dancing in Bridgeport with Chance Savino.


Isamu Noguchi was born in Los Angeles in 1904 to a Japanese father and American mother, and is renowned as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. His activities include stage design for dance.
Isamu is an artist with two bloods, Japanese and American. However, it was a difficult world for Isamu to live in at the time, as half-breeds were rare.
His mother, Leonie, was concerned about Isamu's education, so she headed to Japan and enrolled him in an international school in Yokohama. Leonie was determined to have Isamu live as an American, and he attended the school under the name, Isamu Gilmore, however, he was ostracized at school because he was Japanese.
So at the age of 13, Isamu was sent to a boarding school in Indiana, USA. But even here, problems arose. Soon the war broke out and the school was closed.
The principal of the boarding school took Isamu under his wing, and he stayed with this benefactor until he graduated from high school.
Isamu then went on to attend Columbia University. He chose to study medicine rather than become an artist.
At the university, Isamu met an unexpected person. It was Hideyo Noguchi, who had the same last name as Isamu. Hideyo told Isamu that Isamu's father, Yonejiro Noguchi, was a great writer. Yonejiro had left Isamu when he was very young, so Isamu had never met him. However, Isamu remembered only the name "Yonejiro Noguchi." For the first time, he knew that his father was the most famous Japanese writer in the world at that time.
Isamu quit Columbia University soon after hearing about it from Hideyo, and he then enrolled at the Leonardo da Vinci School of Fine Arts.
Isamu also makes a drastic move. He changed his name to "Isamu Noguchi" instead of "Isamu Gilmore," which he had been calling himself.
Isamu had this to say in honor of his own father:
My father, Yonejiro Noguchi, was a Japanese man who was known early on as someone who, through his poetry, helped the West understand the East. I want to do the same work with sculpture.
At this time, the artist Isamu Noguchi was born.
In 1927, Isamu went to Paris to study. In Paris, the capital of art, he gradually emerged. He created a variety of works ranging from abstract sculptures to portrait sculptures, and came to be recognized as a young sculptor.
In 1930, Isamu returned to Japan to meet his father, whom he had longed to meet. At first Yonejiro refused, but when they met, they seemed to be together as if there had been no gap of about 20 years.
However, that happy time soon came to an end. The war broke out, and it was not an environment in which Americans could come to Japan. When the war ended, Isamu sent a letter to Japan to confirm his father's safety. However, Yonejiro had passed away.
Five years after the war ended, Isamu came to Japan again. In Japan, he became well known not only for his sculptures, but also as a comprehensive artist, creating gardens and other works.


Elena Detta, Dr. rer. nat.
Position: Postdoctoral researcher
Room no.: C1-01-427
Telephone no.: +49 231 755 7098
Member of the group since: 01/2023
University degree: Ph.D. Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry - University Rovira I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
Expertise: Cheminformatics and drug design; small molecule library synthesis; DNA-encoded library chemistry
Off-Lab activities (hobbies): Pencil drawing and sketching, reading novels and backpack travelling
Research projects: Responsible for the design, synthesis and screening of DNA-encoded libraries as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project, aiming at establishing a unique academic open access screening resource. Responsible of the development of innovative strategies for DEL hit validation to discover novel small molecules targeting protein-protein interactions.
- Early Stage Researcher – Horizon 2020 Marie-Sklodowska-Curie European Industrial Training Network (ITN) “VIROFLOW” – AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG and Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ).
- M.Sc. Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology - La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
- WO/2020/221811 - Novel oxalyl piperazines active against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) WO/2020/221824 - Novel indolizine-2-carboxamides active against the hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- Lessing, A., Detta, E., Scheuermann, J., Brunschweiger, A. (2022). Barcoding Strategies for the Synthesis of Genetically Encoded Chemical Libraries. In: Brunschweiger, A., Young, D.W. (eds) DNA-Encoded Libraries. Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, vol 40. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/7355_2022_146
- “Structure-based Design of Novel Hepatitis B Virus Capsid Assembly Modulators”, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett, manuscript submitted (February 2023)


Imagine if you can a wild, stormy and seemingly endless winter’s night. You are child in a very small village on the west coast of Scotland. The year is 1754 and by the light of the fire in your small cottage, you listen spellbound, as your mother paints a picture of bogles, warlocks, spunkies, kelpies, wraiths, and, as the master of ceremonies himself, the Deil! As the flame flickers images dance and twist in your mind. The storm rages outside, but inside you are spellbound, hearing centuries worth of stories passed from mothers to daughters, fathers to sons: stories meant for such a night.
Robert Burns would have been five years of age in 1754 and already by this age he would have been very familiar with the darker aspects of storytelling. His mother, Agnes Broun, was the teller and main inspiration of stories and song to young Burns. From her he developed his innate sense of rhythm, of place and inspiration. As Robert Crawford, Professor of Modern Scottish Literature at the University of St Andrews says:
“Poets learn through their ears. Burns grew up in a family and community which quickened what he called ‘my early attachment to ballads’. Oral culture shaped his imagination, even when he went against its wisdom: ‘advice which my grandmother, rest her soul! often gave me, and I as often neglected – “Leuk twice or ye loup ance!” (Look twice before you leap once)’. (1)
An image and a theme that Burns heard about time and time again when he was a child was that of the Deil (Devil). Burns used the image of the Devil in his storytelling and his songwriting many times. We get a sense of the power from the images he heard about in his cottage when he was young in so many of his poems and songs. One such song that features the Deil is ‘The Deil’s awa wi’ the Exciseman’.
As with so often with Burns there is a delicious paradox at the heart of this song. The year 1792 is the first time this song appears. It is also the year that Robert Burns gets promoted to a more senior and better paid position within the excises, that of the Dumfries First Foot-walk. If this is not enough, Burns also receives a letter and a diploma on April 10th to say that he has been accepted as a member of the King’s ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland, known rather grandly as the Royal Company of Archers. And yet, here he is writing a song that attacks the very establishment he is employed by. Even these steps were not enough for Burns. He sends a copy of The Deil’s awa to one of his supervisors in Edinburgh and tells him that he has already sung it at one of the ‘Excisecourt dinners’ (2) in Dumfries!
“The deil cam fiddlin’ thro’ the town,
And danc’d awa wi’ th’ Exciseman;
And ilka wife cries, Auld Mahoun,
I wish you luck o’ the prize, man.”
|The Deil from Tam O’Shanter|
As with so many images of the Devil in Burns’ work, we see him providing the music. In Burns’ poem, ‘Tam O’ Shanter’ the Devil’s music ability doesn’t stop at being able to play the fiddle;
“Warlocks and witches in a dance:
Nae cotillon, brent new frae France,
But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels,
Put life and mettle in their heels.
A winnock-bunker in the east,
There sat auld Nick, in shape o’ beast;
A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large,
To gie them music was his charge:
He screw’d the pipes and gart them skirl,
Till roof and rafters a’ did dirl.”
For Burns The Deil’s awa offers a deep truth as he sees it in his life: the figure of the exciseman represents the control of the state, over the people. When he, the exciseman, is within the midst of the people they are restrained, controlled. When he is absent, the people rejoice, laugh, drink and dance. Laughing, drinking and dancing were some of Robert Burns’ favourite activities! Despite the strong hand of presbyterian faith in Scotland at this time Burns has the Devil being cheered on by “ilka wife”, every wife, who cries “Auld Mahoun” which is an old medieval name for the Devil with some unfortunate connotations linked back to a negative image of the prophet Muhammad.
The chorus of the song is as thus:
The deil’s awa the deil’s awa, The deil’s awa wi’ the Exciseman, He’s danc’d awa he’s danc’d awa He’s danc’d awa wi’ the Exciseman.
The song is merriment writ large, with a joyous, jaunty feel, warm and inviting like a large class of single malt whisky. And yet it is important to understand how subversive this song was. It is another wonderful example of Burns’ ability to use song as a radical tool to influence his peers. As mentioned this song first appeared in 1792. There were still major tensions across the United Kingdom after the French Revolution in 1789. Indeed there is a story told by Burns biographer, J.G. Lockhart in his book written in 1828 of how Burns bought four cannons and sent them via Dover to the revolutionaries in France. While this story has been disputed, Burns’ clear sympathy with the ideals of the French revolution has not.
Returning to the song we see that the pace has picked up; the celebration is getting wilder.
The second verse contains the sheer joy that is felt by the people when the hated exciseman is taken away:
We’ll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man;
And mony braw thanks to the meikle black deil,
That danc’d awa wi’ th’ Exciseman.
No government figure was going to stop the people from making malt and enjoying it! And an extra special thanks to the Devil for taking away the exciseman!
Robert Burns knew he was taking great risks for his livelihood and yet he was driven, almost relentlessly to express himself and his beliefs regardless of their impact. Indeed Burns seemed to flourish in it. In the same year, 1792, he sends a letter to his publisher, William Creech, who just happens to be a magistrate in Edinburgh. In the letter he ends,“..by quoting four lines of ‘The De’il’s awe’ and using the French Revolutionary salutation ‘Ça ira’, the bard knew he was indulging in a wild, risky, flourish.” (3)
The final verse brings home the vastness of the celebration that is felt by the people who are participating in this party. Burns states:
There’s threesome reels, there’s foursome reels,
There’s hornpipes and strathspeys, man,
But the ae best dance ere came to the Land
Was, the deil’s awa wi’ the Exciseman.
The paradox again for Burns showing itself as the more he becomes part of the establishment, the more he wants to rebel against it. For him, the best dance that ever came to the land was when the devil took away the exciseman.
Robert Burns takes the imagery from his childhood tales, whispered, sung and weaved to him by his mother, and uses them to carve out masterpieces celebrating the humanity of the people he loved against the establishment he was part of, and spent most of his days rebelling against.


Ruaidhri looks back on his father’s life and how gaming can be used to chronicle their relationship.
Browsing all articles in Miscellaneous.
Ruaidhri talks Dungeons and Dragons and why video game fans should give it a chance.
Back in 2009 a level appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 that no only became one of the biggest video game controversies in a while but also changed the way developers went about creating games. Love or hate the series, Call of Duty’s ‘No Russian’ has left an interesting legacy behind.
Byte-Size Post: Ruaidhri shows off some of the work from the Ukiyo-e Heroes project, Ancient Japanese art style meets classic Japanese video games.
Female sidekicks in games have over the decades gone from being ‘damsels in distress’ to something more equal in terms of ability and story telling. Ruaidhri examines the games that led to this change in attitude with gender equality in games.
Ruaidhri looks at the legend (urban and otherwise) of Polybius, an arcade game rumoured be built by the CIA and with side effects ranging from sickness to suicide.
Welcome to There’s an app for that, the first in a running series that goes some way in proving there is an app for almost each and every human need in the world, highlighting their usefulness (or occasional uselessness) and hopefully improving the quality of life for all.
In honour of the impending end of days Spike offers up a run down of his favourite post apocalyptic visions.
Erotic Fan Fiction (Slash Fiction) written about Minecraft? Ruaidhri investigates this curious short story.


This is a way to upload a book to a PocketBook e-book from a computer. Also suitable for devices of any model and any manufacturer.
Advantage: universality, because there is a USB connector in every book and every computer or laptop (and on some smartphones too).
Included with the e-book is a USB cable. It is required to connect to a computer. Thanks to the drivers and cable, the electronic book is perceived by the device as a flash drive. Open it and you will see folders: with music, pictures and documents. Follow these steps:
- find a folder called documents, books or other similar,
- download the desired book in the appropriate format to your computer,
- copy or move the book file to the appropriate folder,
- Click Safely Remove Hardware,
- disconnect the cable.
Method 2. Use Network Libraries
Network Libraries (ODPS Directories) is another way to download a book to an e-book. A relatively new technology is an electronic variation of libraries: network libraries, like regular libraries, are located at addresses and have directories.
Advantage: convenient search (thanks to directories).
ODPS can only be used through applications that support their format. Some e-books, such as ONYX, have built-in applications. They need to be uploaded to others (for example, through a computer).
Applications for network libraries:
- FBReader and several others.
To access ODPS directories, you need the Internet, so turn on Wi-Fi, and then follow these steps:
- run the application.
- go to the menu (in OReader it opens with a button in the center).
- Select "Open Book."
- select "Network Libraries" from the list that appears. Some applications will already have several directories. If they are not, or if you want to add your catalog, select "Add Catalog". In the window that opens, enter the address of the library in the corresponding field. The ODPS directory lists of most popular book reader services are publicly available on the Internet.
- select a directory or open the added one.
- Search by genre, author, or book title.
- select a book and click on it - downloading will start automatically.
Method 3. Use a memory card
This method, how to upload a book to an e-book (PocketBook, Kindle, Nook, etc.), is used if the device supports SD cards. The idea is the same as in the first method - to copy or move the file to the book's memory. The difference is that with USB the file was copied to the internal memory, and with SD - to the external.
Benefits: no USB cable needed, no drivers needed, it is possible to insert different memory cards into the device and read files from cards on different devices (for example, on a tablet or smartphone).
Disadvantage: computers (not laptops!) do not have a built-in microSD card reader.
To upload, do the following:
- remove the SD card from the book (it is recommended to turn off the gadget first),
- insert the card into the appropriate slot,
- wait until the card appears in the list of devices,
- open the map, select or create a folder for books,
- copy or move the previously downloaded book file to the folder,
- remove the SD card from the laptop and place it in the e-book.
You can also move the file to the memory card using the USB cable - the SD (external memory) folder will be displayed next to the gadget's internal memory folder.


|Midtown History: Ellen and Tom Wyman
Written by Annette Ashton
|Tom came to Palo Alto in '36 from a mining and moonshine hill mining camp in Tennessee. Their house was the only one around that had indoor plumbing so that when friends came to visit a trip to the bathroom was the first order of priority. After his father died, his mother felt that California would be a great place to bring up two "wild Indians', since she had once spent a winter here. After a brief stay at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, they came to Palo Alto. His mother - Dorothy Wyman was very popular in local theatre playing character parts - but that's another story.
Tom went to grade school at Walter Hays and was in the first class that graduated from Jordan. He reminisces about the days when Midtown was just a mud field - not pretty but great to fly model airplanes.
|The Mayfield theatre was packed on Saturday afternoons, where you could see a cowboy movie, a short, the news, a cartoon, and a serial - all for 10 cents!
From Palo Alto High, most of his classmates went right into the military. Tom had just turned 16 and went on to San Jose State. After 2 years, Tom joined the U.S. Navy and toured the Pacific on the Lexington. While at sea, his mother filled out the forms for Tom to attend Stanford, which he did in the fall of '46, majoring in mining engineering and geology. After working in a couple of mines, he decided that wasn't a great career; so he joined Chevron, retiring after 42 years. In Taft, Tom lived in a bunkhouse with the guys, and ate at the cookhouse. Life there was so "good" that some of old timers retired and lived in the bunkhouse.
Ellen got her start in Illinois, and majored in liberal arts at the University of Illinois. Next, she moved to Chicago to work in opinion research. She came out to California to visit her college roommate, who married a man who worked in the oil fields with Tom. After they married, they lived in Bakersfield. Ellen taught business at the junior college and ran the placement bureau. She kept one step ahead of her students, since she never had taken a business course. She remembers the long weekend when she learned the international monetary fund.
Tom and Ellen enjoyed long weekends camping, sailing and enjoying many outdoor activities. After 5 years, they moved to Alaska in '58/9 just after Alaska had become a state; they voted in the first election! Ellen taught high school English and History. Ellen's business background and education dazzled the local folks; she was recruited to join the League of Woman Voters (LWV). Fascinating times - the League worked on such issues as how to organize Alaska into counties or bureaus.
After almost 2 years, they moved to San Francisco to a marina apartment with a stunning view of the Golden Gate. The issue that got Ellen involved again with the LWV was a non-partisan voters guide that was lauded by the Christian Science Monitor (the WSJ of the day.) Ellen took it on herself to distribute tens of thousands of copies. Her method was to go to the largest SF companies (Crown Zellerback, March McLennan Insurance) demanded to talk with the CEO, and then convinced him to distribute these pamphlets to his employees. It did not occur to Ellen that this was unusual; she says it shows that one person can do a lot if they want to.
Ellen and Tom moved back to Palo Alto in '64 to raise their children, a son and a daughter. The time was right after the Oregon Expressway decision and just before the council recall. They co-managed Byron Sher's campaign for re-election. In those days, there were slates of candidates; a big force was ABC (Association for a Balanced Community). Ellen was very active, training ABC precinct workers 3-4 nights a week at her home, and using skills from her market opinion research training. In those days, precinct walkers knocked on doors and talked passionately about issues. For city council elections, ABC interviewed candidates and asked tough questions before endorsement. After this grilling, the precinct workers were fired up about their candidates and were very convincing when they knocked on doors.
The next big issue in Palo Alto was when the Palo Alto Medical Clinic (PAMC) wanted to build a downtown hospital. People were stunned when they realized the height planned was 18 stories in an area of one story homes. Tom designed a set of wooden blocks, used by precinct walkers, which dramatically demonstrated the relative heights of the proposed hospital, city hall, and the one story homes. When a physician complained to Tom that the blocks were not accurate, Tom said "you may be a great doctor, but a bad engineer" since he had designed them using the building's architectural plans. Ellen was the precinct chair and covered the town with flyers, including a last minute one to refute incorrect information from PAMC. Years later, Dr Jamplis (PAMC CEO) told Ellen that in hindsight, it was better that the hospital was not built.
It was an era of activism; there were no computers or TVs. Most women remained at home with their children. People were concerned about how the town would develop and about the future for their kids. Constantly issues were coming up and the town was growing. The LWV was very strong in those days. Ellen was again on the board. When there was discussion of moving the Carnegie library (on the current city hall site), the League urged the city to establish two libraries - one at the current location of Main and the other south of Oregon. The city manager wanted his own analysis; his blue ribbon committee's plan was a carbon copy of the League's.
In the late 80s, citizens were concerned about the growth and development in Palo Alto. Ellen was part of a group that petitioned the City Council and the Planning & Transportation Commission to place a percent limit of growth downtown. The City took steps to adopt a policy and place a development cap in the inner core of downtown. This cap is still in effect.
As a change of pace, Ellen joined the Friends of the Palo Alto Library (FOPAL) and served as President. Many years later Tom and Ellen discovered that Tom's mother was involved in forming the FOPAL and was the membership chair. Tom and Ellen both got involved with the FOPAL book sales. When they started the book sale was making about $1000-1200/ month; when they left it was up to $10,000 a month! It was so satisfying doing this work that benefited the community in many ways - a place to drop off books, less books sent to the landfill, money raised for libraries. Tom wrote the "Palo Alto and Its Libraries, a Long Time Love Affair" in 1999. Also in that year, Ellen was influential in establishing a Library Advisory Commission, and Tom became its first Chair. Their first step was to write a "New Library Plan" which was adopted by the council and recommended two resource libraries in addition to branch libraries. This led to a bond measure that failed; Ellen feels it was due to the desire to build in dedicated parkland and an imposing size.
Looking to the future of libraries, Tom would love to see an improved Mitchell Park Library. His vision is for Palo Altans to come together, take $1.5 million slated for repairs and float a small bond issue of $7.5 - 10 million "to give the residents the library they expect and deserve." Ellen replies that Palo Alto has grown up with several libraries; it is a part of the fabric of our community. One full service library is not there. Residents are happy with convenience in neighborhood libraries. Tom is very active in writing about famous folks (stay tuned for a byline in this news from Tom) for the Stanford Historical Society, He is involved in the Palo Alto Historical Society (president for 3 years) and is on the Board of Directors of the Palo Alto History Museum (working to make the museum a reality.)
Tom and Ellen both share a love of California "Arts and Craft" ceramic tile from 1910-35. Their home is adorned with examples of tile. They collect, use, and frame tiles in a passive way. In 2001, Tom and Ellen were awarded the City of Palo Alto Community Star Award. Most recently, Tom and Ellen were honored with the Avenidas Lifetime of Achievement Award for their many years of community service.
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“I Will Dance ’til a Hundred and One! Communal Wisdom on Dancing as We Age”
How to live ’til a hundred nd one? Keep moving! Whether you are thinking of starting to dance as an adult or have loved to dance since you were young, this medium brings our a special bod with our won bodies and with our connections to others.
This book is a compilation of essays by women from their 30’s through their 90’s who dance simply for the joy of it. They have explored their experiences and reflections on what it means to “dance as we age” so that we can all share in the communal wisdom as we navigate the waters of time. Share the journey, share the joy, and “Dance ’til a Hundred and One!”
Purchase “I Will Dance ’til a Hundred and One! Communal Wisdom on Dancing as We Age” here
“The ATS® Belly Dance Community Coloring Book: Meditations for the Soul to Dance”
“As in dance, so in life….”
This book contains over 70 pages of black and white sketches of American Tribal Style® belly dancers in their culturally rich costuming and strong feminine expression, each image representing individuality, strength, and beauty. Adjoining the image is a quote to guide you on your path of empowerment and self reflection. This book is designed for you to contribute your own unique color and life to the images, meditate on the enriching quote, and add personal thoughts and insights as you dance through the tapestry of your amazing life!
Purchase “The ATS® Belly Dance Community Coloring Book: Meditations for the Soul to Dance” here
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Recently I received a copy of a book entitled Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business. Since I speak occasionally on the topic of social media, I looked forward to reading this book and found it to be a helpful assessment of the future of social media.
Interestingly enough, the author, Mzinga CEO Barry Libert, hails from the world of real estate. Early in the book, he writes:
I was working at John Hancock, as a managing director in the firm’s real estate department. Every day I would ride up and down the elevators in one of the tallest buildings in Boston, past all the other floors. When I happened to ride the elevators with various Hancock executives, I would ask a few basic questions: “Who leases from us? What can we learn from all the people who work on each floor? How can we learn about them about what we should do to make our services better and more comprehensive?
My questions generally would be met with blank stares.
Libert concluded that Hancock was failing to “Seize the opportunity to build a tenant nation–or a nation of residents, office occupants and retailers in which all of our tenants needs were met–and they became our loyal fans and followers.”
So Libert left the real estate industry and embarked on a mission to develop an awareness of social networking aspects of customers’ lives. This book is the result.
The book Social Nation is essentially Libert’s advice (and those of his team, who helped write the book) to anyone wanting to understand social media, and is his roadmap to developing a “nation” of fans. He starts with “7 Principles for Building Your Social Nation,” then proceeds to unpack each one in detail:
- Develop your social skills
- Let culture lead your way
- Mind your online and offline manners
- Monitor, measure and adopt to your community’s needs
- Include others in everything you do
- Rely on others for growth and innovation
- Reward others and you will be rewarded, too
Throughout the book Libert offers examples where companies have succeeded in building a nation of followers. Examples are given for each of four types of persona organizational strengths Libert has identified: Physical, Informational, Emotional, and Social. Of course, “social” is the newest kid on the block when each type is reviewed throughout the context of human history.
The book wraps up with a brief guide to get started in developing a social nation, along with 10 Pitfalls to Avoid, each of which is a practical, spot-on assessment of common pitfalls he has seen and written about in the book.
There’s also a social test online available to readers at www.socialnationbook.com. Are you an Adaptor? Architect? Collaborator? Connector? Creative Thinker? Transparent individual? Risk taker? Visionary? Take the test and find out–then delve into each type in the book to learn how to implement it in your business life. (According to the test, I am an Adaptor, Creative Thinker and Visionary, and most people register as a Connector, Creative Thinker and Transparent).
Readers who are well acquainted with social media may not find a great deal of ground-breaking information here, but still will benefit from the organized, practical, thought-provoking approach the book provides in pulling loads of disparate information together into one cohesive read. Those new to social media will find a wealth of information helpful in developing and refining a social media strategy, even as the technology redefines the topic on an ongoing basis.
While many books on technology and marketing focus on trends, theory and opinion, it’s encouraging that this book is authored by someone who understands old-school business AND emerging media. And his background is in commercial real estate provides some assurances that the author understands both the business and real estate worlds.
The only disappointing aspect of the book to report is the regrettable choice of font/typeface, making the book feel clumsy and difficult to peruse quickly for highlights. In my view, it gives the pages the appearance of a self-published book from an earlier decade. Nonetheless, ignore the typeface and dive deeply into the world of social media with someone who knows how to get there from where we sit today.
Is social media a fad? No. But what it looks like today is very different from what it looked like two years ago. And two years from now it may well be even more different as mobile technology advances and a younger generation becomes an increasingly larger percentage of the work force. Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business will help you refine your strategy if you have one or develop one if you don’t, and prepare you for the future in social media…whatever it is.
It’s also a good investment of time to visit the book’s website at www.SocialNationBook.com and download chapter excerpts.
Full disclosure: The reviewer was provided with a free copy of this book by a friend who is also the author’s literary agent.


While researching this topic, I discovered that there is an abundant amount of information available on the Internet concerning California’s gold rush. It can be overwhelming at times and you may feel like learning about something new every minute. However, it is a fun and exciting way to earn money in a rush. The information that you find out is simply for entertainment purposes only. I am sure that many people would enjoy knowing more about California’s gold history.
First, you should probably do some homework before diving into the current rush. There are many different companies that offer California gold coins and other items that are related to the gold rush. I recommend that you research each one and see if they are reputable. I may have known about some of these companies but I have not personally known anything about them. I recommend getting to know the history of each company as well as learning as much as you possibly can about the company.
In addition to this, there are also a number of great books that are available from your local library. These books are filled with history and stories that you may not have known about. There are even guides available online that will take you right down the road on how the gold was gotten. While the books and guides may be helpful, they will not give you as much detail as talking to someone who has been there. If you want to be really successful, it is imperative that you talk to someone who knows what they are doing.
Next, it is important to understand just what occurred during the gold rush. Many people assume that the gold rush was created as a result of massive panning and mining efforts. Although these were part of the process, they were certainly not the main reason why the California gold rush happened. What actually caused the huge boom in the state was the development and opening up of mines in other areas. This led to an increased demand for the precious metal and the need for people who could work in the mines.
Knowing this history and knowing where California came from may help you understand where you are today. Some people assume that they know all there is to know about the California Gold Rush, but they are probably wrong. You never really know what your past is until you look back at it. The more you learn about it, the more you will know about yourself.
As you can see, there are many interesting things about the California Gold Rush. While there is some great gold in the San Andreas, it is just not enough to support the large amounts of people who come to the area each year. For this reason, the area has developed into a popular tourist destination and home to many industries. It is also full of new developments and will continue to develop for many years to come. You may find that you want to make a trip down to the area at some point in the future!


Mary Barnard was born December 6, 1909, in Vancouver, Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, the only child of Samuel Melvin Barnard and Bertha Hoard Barnard. She grew up intimately acquainted with the vast beaches and forests of the Northwest, often accompanying her father on his business trips as a timber broker to the logging sites.
After graduation from Vancouver High School, she attended Reed College, graduating in 1932 during the Depression. She had no choice but to return home where she was employed by the Emergency Relief Administration. She continued to write poetry whenever she could, the sound of Ezra Pound’s lines, read the year before at Reed College, echoing in her mind. Desperate for a mentor and feeling geographically isolated, she went to the Vancouver library, found his address in Rapallo, Italy, and sent him six of her poems. His reply to the promising young poet began a special relationship, described by Mary Barnard as master and apprentice, which continued until his death. Although Pound was a strict taskmaster in poetic technique, he opened doors for his protégé by suggesting she write to publishers like Harriet Monroe and James Laughlin and poets such as William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore.
By age 26, Mary Barnard’s poems were being accepted for publication by leading literary magazines, and in 1935 she was awarded Poetry magazine’s distinguished Levinson Award. In 1936, she scraped together enough money to go to New York and there met Williams, Moore, and many other leading lights of the modernist movement. Her visit to the East Coast was extended by an invitation to Yaddo, an artists’ colony in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she met even more promising young artists. She returned to Vancouver, but in 1938, she received a second invitation to Yaddo, this time determined to stayed on in New York, even though that meant doing all kinds of work in order to live and write there. Her first poetry collection Cool Country, consisting of 31 poems, was published in Five Young American Poets (New Directions 1940), along with John Berryman and Randall Jarrell.
In 1940 Mary Barnard arrived in Buffalo, New York, to assume the position of curator for the Poetry Collection of the Lockwood Memorial Library. Through correspondence and contacts with many poets, she laid the foundation for one of the most unique and complete twentieth century poetry collections in the country.
After four years, she returned to New York City, this time writing various kinds of prose - fables, short stories, mysteries, and even a novel. Her excellent literary agent Diurmond Russell placed her shorter pieces in magazines, such as Harper’s Bazaar, Yale Review, and Kenyon Review. During this period, Mary Barnard enjoyed her work as research assistant to Carl Van Doren, the Pulitzer Prize winning biographer of Benjamin Franklin. She worked with him until his death in 1950.
In 1951, Mary Barnard found herself back in Vancouver for a time, ill with hepatitis, and reading Homer to stave off the boredom of bed rest. Taking Pound’s advice from several years before, she resumed work on Greek metrics, particularly those of the Greek poet Sappho. Mary Barnard’s clear but elegant translation of these fragments was exactly what the modernist poets, as well as the Greeks, were aiming for. Barnard’s Sappho: A New Translation was published by the University of California Press in 1958 and by 1994, it had sold over 100,000 copies. It has never been out of print and has recently been reissued.
Back in New York, Mary Barnard expanded the research she had done on the background of Sappho, which led her to raise questions about the origin and nature of myths. In her book The Mythmakers (Ohio University Press 1966), she presents a common-sense approach to mythology, exploring the role of astronomy and the use of hallucinogenic plants in ancient religious rituals.
Mary Barnard was not to see her book of Collected Poems published until her association in 1979 with James Anderson, a graduate of Reed and founder of Breitenbush Press in Portland, Oegon. . It was one of the most critically praised books of the year and won the Elliston Award for 1979.
In 1986, at age 77, Mary Barnard undertook a new poetic venture and wrote her unique essay-in-verse Time and the White Tigress. This charming book, with flowing lines based on her study of Greek metric and admirable linocuts by Anita Bigelow, won her the 1986 Western States Book Award for Poetry. In this work, Barnard successfully bridges art and science; it is at the same time highly abstract and warmly human.
Never one to be idle, Mary Barnard turned her love of research to her family genealogy tracing her origins to Nantucket. (In this process, she found she was actually a distant cousin of Ezra Pound!) Nantucket Genesis:The Tale of My Tribe was the creative result of this pursuit. Written in her own verse, interspersed with short historical documents, it is not only family history, but includes her own observations on the role of women during the movement west and the inheritance of property.
Mary Barnard received many honors for her work. In Oregon, she was given a special award by the Oregon Institute of Literary Arts (OILA) and honored at the 17th and 22nd annual Portland Poetry Festivals. In her home state, she was the recipient of the Washington State Governor’s Award for achievement in the literary arts. She was given an honorary doctorate by her beloved Reed College. On a national scale, she was awarded the May Sarton Award for Poetry from the New England Poetry Club in 1987, the Western States Book Award for Poetry in 1986, the Elliston Award for her Collected Poems in 1979 and the Levinson Award in 1935, as well as two residencies at Yaddo. An entire issue of Paideuma: A Journal Devoted to Ezra Pound Scholarship in 1994 was devoted to Mary Barnard and her relationship to Pound. In 1999, she discussed her Sappho on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” in celebration of National Poetry Week. Eminent composers such as Tibor Serly and Tomas Svoboda,among others, have set her poems to music in major works. Her poems continue to appear in major anthologies, such as The Poetry Anthology 1912 – 2002. (See Bibliography).
Mary Barnard’s achievement as poet, writer, and thinker, though widely recognized, has not yet been given the place it deserves in the modernist literary canon of the twentieth century. Her lack of critical attention is a puzzle. Perhaps this is due in part to the difficulty of categorizing her, for she followed her own path of creativity and gave little thought to fame. One thing is certain: a mind and talent like hers is an American literary treasure which deserves to be rediscovered.
© Barnardworks 2004


Corner bookmarks for Kids
Kids and adults will love making these cool corner bookmarks. With a little fold here and there, these cute little monsters will be a great reminder where the child stopped reading in his or her book. It may even encourage reading....stranger things have happened. Great craft for teachers and very useful too. Follow this link for instructions and ideas for super cool bookmarks.
Hi, I'm Patricia, I started Gifts That Say Wow to share Crafts and Recipes I've Tried through the years. Many of the Recipes are Old Family Favorites. The crafts I have Enjoyed Most are The Juice Box Robots and The Giving Plate. I made the Robots Several years ago. They have traveled all around the Internet, Hopefully Making a lot of Kids Happy. The Giving Plate was made for a Friend and will Always have a Special Meaning. Be sure to Subscribe to my Blog with the RSS feed or Email so you don't Miss Any of the Good Stuff. Happy Crafting Friends!


Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods.
A Practical Guide to Research Papers book. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers.
Download Writing A Research Paper In Political Science A Practical Guide To Inquiry Structure And Methods ebook PDF or Read Online books in PDF, EPUB, and Mobi Format. Click Download or Read Online button to Writing A Research Paper In Political Science A Practical Guide To Inquiry Structure And Methods book pdf for free now. Writing A Research Paper In Political Science. Author: Lisa A.
Leanne C. Powner’s new title Empirical Research and Writing: A Student's Practical Guide provides valuable advice and guidance on conducting and writing about empirical research. Chapter by chapter, students are guided through the key steps in the research process. Written in a lively and engaging manner and with a dose of humor, this practical text shows students exactly how to choose a.
Critiquing a paper: a guide L. Sbaih Lynn Sbaih Lecturer, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, Manchester University, Manchester, UK Manuscript accepted: 13 October 1998 Introduction Critiquing: 9 Can be done by an individual or in a group. Working in a group can be very motivating, as group members are able to discuss various aspects of the paper and put forward why they think it.
A practical guide to using Interpretative Phenomenological. is a valuable research method for coaching research. The paper positions coaching as a social activity and highlights its subjective.
Before you start your essay or research paper, you should familiarize yourself with some general APA rules. First, your paper must be typed on standard-sized paper (8.5” x 11”), using one-inch margins on each side. APA also requires double-spacing and the use of a font that is legible. The use of 12 pt. Times New Roman font is preferred, although you should always consult your teacher or.
A practical guide to research papers by James P. Farrelly, 1988, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich edition, in English.


The Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel written by William Golding in 1954. The book narrates about some British boys who were stuck in an uninhabited island. The book’s theme revolves around the controversial subjects of individual welfare and human nature versus the common good. Having been published in 1954, it was a flop and sold less than 3,000 copies in the US. It was later adapted to film twice by Harry Book and Peter Brook. The book later rose to fame in 2005 when it was chosen as one of the best English language novels. The book is, however, now available in audio version. The audiobook version is to understand and readily available on the internet. The Lord of the Flies online book audio free is available any time and at no cost.
Lord of the Flies Plot Summary
While the world is at war, a British plane crashes on an island located on a remote area of the Pacific Ocean. The survivors are boys in their preadolescence stage. Ralph and Piggy find a conch and Ralph uses it to call the other boys to one place. The boys chose Ralph as their leader although he does not receive the support of the boys’ choir led by Jack Merridew. The leader sets three goals of having fun, to survive, and maintain sufficient smoke signal to alert passing ships.
Jack and his team go for a hunting party in search of food while Ralph oversees the leadership. The leader gets a confidant named Piggy but becomes an outcast of the other boys. He receives relenting laughter from the boys. Simon oversees construction of shelters and is always willing to protect the young boys. As days pass, most of the boys become idle and contribute less in building shelters. They start developing fear by believing of a monster that lives in the island. Ralph refutes such claims while jack prepares to kill the beast. As they after the beast, they miss the chance of getting rescued by a passing ship because they forgot to maintain the smoke signal.
During one of the nights, a dead fighter pilot lands on the island after being ejected from his plane. The body together with the parachute hangs on a mountain and Jack is eager to that location. They create tension by claiming the body is the beast. Jack together with his faction set to explore the other side of the island. Later, Jack, Roger and another lad erect separate shelters and lure others into the group using cooked pig. Simon is the only boy who discovers the dead beast and confirms it is only a dead body. On his return, he is killed by the other as they mistake him for the beast.
Jack and his followers attack Ralph camp in order to possess Piggy’s glasses because they are the only ones that can light fire. Ralph takes the conch and together with other boys go after the stolen glasses. One boy is killed by Roger while two are held hostage. Ralph escapes but Jack orders his boys to go for him early the next morning. The whole island is in flames as they chase Ralph. Ralph trips and falls but wakes up to find a soldier in front of him.
All the chapters and scenes are well described in the audiobook. Download the Lord of the Flies online book audio free and listen as all the scenes unfold.


Welcome to www.studentsforwar.org
Education Copyright Law
The Nuts and Bolts of Education Copyright Law
It is a wonderful thing that Education Copyright Law is available for educators. It isn?t only teachers that can take advantage of education copyright law. Students are also covered under education copyright law -- to a degree. Teachers are able to use copyrighted materials in their classroom and make copies of them. Students are also able to use copyrighted materials in school projects. The key to education copyright law is how often a teacher or student uses copyrighted material, in what way they are using it and how many copies they have of it. It is important that teachers and students do not cross the line of education copyright law or they could be in for some stiff penalties.
It helps many students and teachers to learn what exactly is not copyrighted. Any work that is in the public domain is not copyrighted and can be used in school and for school projects. Work that is not in the public domain is copyrighted and if you use it you should make sure you fall within the fair use or education copyright law regulations.
Many people do not know what exactly fair use copyright regulations are. When you are trying to see if you can use another?s words, you should keep a few things in mind. The answer to the following questions will help you gage whether you would be violating a copyright. First, are you transforming someone else?s work or are you copying it directly? If you are using another person?s work directly, for what purpose and how much of the original author?s work are you using? Many publishing companies have set rules on how much material they will allow to be quoted in other sources. Some of these ranges start at 100 words or less. However, there are truly no standards to go by, so be careful. You can not assume that keeping your copying fewer than 50 words will allow you to pass under the radar ? especially if the original piece is hovering around 125 words itself! There is a greater amount of room to maneuver when it comes to technical writing. For instance, if you are writing a report on something that involves a lot of reporting from an expert, you would probably need to quote more of their work than you would a fiction novelist?s work. The fair use copyright law enables people to use portions of material that is copyrighted for the purposes of criticism or as commentary.
Individuals who are involved in the distance education field should take a look at the TEACH Act that was made into law in 2002. This Act clearly outlines the requirements that a university or school must be in compliance with when it comes to transmitting copyrighted works via the Internet. The TEACH Act allows students and teachers to transmit copyrighted works, but they must be within certain guidelines. If the school or university cannot meet these guidelines, the material that is being transmitted via the Internet needs to fall within the fair use copyright act ? or the individuals involved need to have permission from the copyright owner. If you are an educator and you are using copyrighted material make sure it falls within the education copyright law.
Events of copyright infringement The Events of Copyright Infringement: Innocent People Infringing Accidentally Copyright infringement is in the news a lot lately ? it?s hard to miss stories about kids being carted off to jail or seriously fined for downloading music or movies off the internet. I?ve even heard about a lady was fined for tens of thousands of dollars because of the events of copyright infringement ? her grandson downloading music, and she couldn?t prove it wasn?t her. The events of copyright infringement are complicated ? and not easy to define. Surfing the internet has its advantages and disadvantages, that?s for sure. We?re able to find useful information quickly, but how close are we pertaining to copyright laws? Do we even know what is and is not acceptable? A couple of the more pertinent questions have been asked below: If you hear a great new band, and then download a song from MySpace, is that legal or not? The events of copyright infringement are not only limited by Kazaa, Morpheus, or some other file sharing peer to peer (P2P) service. If you download a song - no matter if you?re on a website or a MySpace page - and it isn?t coming from the artist themselves, you may want to think about downloading it. Chances are, if it?s not coming from them, you can?t have it ? unless it is under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons gives the exact ways in which you can use the license ? and many times those are completely free and legal to download ? so make sure you check if it?s under a CC License. If I?m writing a paper, or article, and I want to quote another website, can I? First of all, did you know the minute you write or create something, you hold the copyright to it? ESPECIALLY if you?re writing it online ? it?s very easy to track things in the internet page. So, if you?re writing a blog, all the things you?ve written (no matter good or bad) are there permanently, thanks to archive.org, and you can review last versions of your web pages. Sometimes, people we can use ? rather heavily ? someone else?s work in our own, and think we?re small and anonymous. That no one will notice by the time you get it down ? you?re just ?borrowing? it. Before you begin quoting anyone?s website ? from CNN to your local neighborhood hardware store ? you need to ask the person who holds the copyright if you can. Usually, they?ll let you if you attribute to them. Depending who you talk to, you?ll either have to pay royalties or license rights to republish. If you don?t ask before you quote, you?re beginning the events of copyright infringement and you are opening yourself up for a lawsuit. As you can see, the events of copyright infringement can begin at any time, beginning with normal ?everyday? activities. It?s just as easy to infringe on as it is to be infringed upon. Make sure you check your copyright using CopyScape or some other service, and you can check your work against other works on the internet, and make sure that you?re not infringing someone or vice versa. In this day it?s easy to protect yourself from getting infringed upon, and the events of copyright infringement are easy to track. It?s easy for innocent people to get caught in copyright infringement, like children they didn?t know what they could and couldn?t do. Make sure, in all you do, that you?re striving to do the best you can, and you?ll be certain not to fall victim to your own infringing demons.
Bring These Important Tips to the Table in a Telecommuting Argument Are you tired of the sound of the alarm clock every morning? Are you equally tired of trying to figure out what to wear every day (ladies) and fighting the rush hour traffic to get to the office in time? How about spending almost your entire paycheck on gas to put in your car to get you to work? There is a way around all of this of course ? telecommuting. When you telecommute to work, you can catch a little bit of extra shut eye and head to work in your pajamas, without even getting in the shower. But aside from the convenience factor, there can be a lot of other good reasons why telecommuting makes sense. If you can put together a convincing enough argument for your employer, you may find yourself going to work in your bedroom slippers before you know it. The first thing you have to keep in mind about your telecommuting argument is that you have to make sure you have plenty of evidence that telecommuting will be beneficial to your employer, not just you. Sure, you would love to be able to see the kids off to school in the morning and take your coffee break in front of your favorite soap operas, but your boss doesn?t care about all of that. Though you don?t have to hide the fact that telecommuting will obviously have its privileges for you from your boss, remember to include plenty of ammunition for benefits to the company as well. What can you bring to the table in terms of telecommuting advantages for your boss? Point your boss to a growing amount of research on the internet that shows that big companies have seen big increases in productivity when they started letting people telecommute and work from the comfort of their homes. Everyone knows that a rested and stress free employee is a productive one, and offices can be filled with more distractions than your home (gossiping employees, phones always ringing). Some companies have seen increases in productivity of over 50%, something that is sure to get your boss?s attention. You can also point out to your boss that absenteeism takes a nosedive when people telecommute. No need to take a fake sick day to get out of going to office when you work from home, and even when people are under the weather, when the office is in the next room, they still tend to get a few things done on a day that would have been a total write off otherwise. Another selling point for your boss may be that everyone else is already doing it. More than half of the companies in the US have employees that telecommute, with great results. Your boss won?t want to let the company fall behind ? and your boss will know that offering what other companies have is important for employee retention. Make sure your boss knows that what you are asking for is not out of the ordinary in any way. Beyond the selling points for your boss, you can be specific about a few benefits to you. Bosses know that gas is major issue for employees ? telecommuting is a way they can let you cut back on that big expense, without feeling under pressure to respond with wage hikes. If you have customers that live near your house, let your boss know it will be easier to meet them face-to-face if you work from home. Last but not least, let your boss know that you believe you can deliver more to the company from the comfort of your home - more work for the same pay is always music to an employer?s ears.
Copyright Law Plagiarism Plagiarism Is Simply Unethical Anyone who is a writer is concerned with plagiarism. Copyright Plagiarism Laws protects copyright holders from having their works plagiarized. Many people think it is ironic that the word plagiarism derives from ?kidnapper? in Latin. However, it is true. If a person uses another person?s words without permission, they have indeed stolen or kidnapped something that was owned by another and is in violation of copyright law. Plagiarism is a very bad word in the writing world. Crediting the author of the work will not keep someone immune from being in violation of copyright law. Plagiarism is plagiarism, even if the author is cited if the author did not give permission for the work to be used. One of the most common areas that copyright law plagiarism is violated is in the academic world. Many students will copy and paste the information they need for their research papers and essays straight off the Internet and turn it in to their professors. However, this type of cheating is easily detected now with special programs that professors can use. Plagiarism is unethical, not only in the writing world, but in the academic world, as well. Did you know that you could plagiarism a work but not be in violation of the copyright? Likewise, you can be in violation of a copyright and not have been plagiarizing. It is really not that hard to understand. Let?s say you are using Abraham Lincoln?s exact words in a paper and you did not cite him as the source or give him credit. Well, Lincoln?s words aren?t copyrighted because they are in the public domain. But, you did plagiarize because you tried to pass off his words as your own. Alternatively, if you use a picture in a book and you did not gain permission to use the book, you have violated copyright law because you did not source the artist and you did not get permission from the artist to use the picture. If you are in school, the best way you can get around committing plagiarism is to simply list your sources. If you use someone?s word, list it in an endnote or in a footnote. List the resource you found it in the bibliography. Another way around copyright law plagiarism violations is to take notes when you are reading. Take notes in your own words and put the resource away. Write your paper from your own words. No one wants to be singled out for plagiarism, especially a student who is concerned about their reputation at school and writers who need to keep their credibility in good standing. With today?s technological advances, it is not too hard to pinpoint plagiarized work. Even webmasters who run websites are on to the plagiarism crowd. They can run their entire sites through a special program to see if their content has been stolen and duplicated elsewhere on the Internet. If you are dealing in the written word, either academically or as a profession, it is a good idea that you only use your own words. It was probably easier to get away with plagiarism 100 years ago, but it is not that easy today. The changes are very high that if you are caught violating copyright law plagiarism laws you will be caught. Not only is it embarrassing, but it can cost you a bundle in a lawsuit.


A WAY TO RECONCILE THE WORLD by Quentin Cooke
Over two years ago, I undertook an amazing tour of various dojos in the San Francisco Bay area. I kept a blog of that journey here and it tells of how I was lucky enough to meet Robert Frager Sensei, 7th Dan, who had studied with O Sensei, the founder of aikido himself. Frager Sensei had a wonderful aura of calm and deep wisdom and as we talked about this and that, he said casually ‘It’s such a shame that there is no one out there who is capturing the wonderful stories that arise out of aikido.’ I knew immediately that I wanted to be that person.
Finally we have the fruits of this labour, a book of over 80 aikido stories from everyday life, collected from aikidoka based around the world. They range from students with very little experience on the mat to the most seasoned sensei. The stories have one thing in common, which is that they demonstrate the positive power of aikido.
The range of ways and circumstances in which people have used what they have learnt on the mat to deal with whatever life throws at them is simply amazing. Some stories are very short, some much longer, some make a simple point, and others are far more profound, but they all serve to inspire and motivate any serious aikido student and maybe will serve to entice students on the mat when they understand the benefits of aikido practice.
On the most basic level, the book is simply a good read and enjoy. It is the ideal book for aikido teachers to promote to their students, because it simple focuses on what can happen if they keep on training.
Aikido seeks to promote harmony, but all too often in the aikido world, the different lineages seem to focus on what divides us. However, in putting together the book from so many diverse places, it became increasingly obvious that we are mostly climbing the same mountain, albeit the chosen route may be different.
Maybe this book can help reconcile the aikido world and also serve to make all aikido students realise why O Sensei said ‘It is a way to reconcile the world and make all human beings one family.’
To purchase the book or read more go to http://quentincooke.tumblr.com/


About one hundred years ago, the famous author, Ernst Hemingway, in his quest for the answers to life, wrote about love, fear, and courage, in his book A Farewell to Arms which was set against the looming battlefields of WW1 as the Italian forces attempted to hold off Germany and Austria. Hemingway penned “The world breaks everyone. It kills the very good, the very gentle, and the very brave, impartially.” Unfortunately, he didn’t discover any answers, so where does that leave the reader?
Nevertheless, thousands of years ago, just before an historical battle – The Battle of Kurukshetra – a famous dialogue took place between the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, and his friend Arjuna. In this dialogue Sri Krishna clearly, and unambiguously, answered the secrets of life. These answers are timeless keys for a happy life.
Watch this Thoughtful Thursday and enrich your life with intention and grace.


Maybe, just maybe, I've found a book which will help me to accept, contextualise and articulate my thoughts and words on something that is on my mind - Derrick Jensen's Endgame : Volume 1, The Problem of Civilisation.
So what is on my mind? I'm interested, very interested, in environmental issues. Specifically, there's the issue that most 'developed' and indeed 'developing' countries are fixated on continued and probably endless economic growth in a world where there are finite, and in many cases, dwindling, resources.
Nobody, especially our puppet leaders, seem able to mention the unthinkable - that endless growth cannot possibly continue, and that the environmental damage we're doing to the planet - our home - is so immense and that most western civilisations are able to 'outsource' the worst, lowest paid jobs, and much of the destruction and degradation to 'less important', less visible and less vocal parts of the world.
Endgame essentially says that the problem is that 'civilisation' cannot be sustainable and never has been, and goes on to explain this and other related matters in great detail. If you accept what the book is about, and in all honesty, I would defy most rationally minded people not to, then some very deep and awkward questions sit in your mind.
I'll be exploring some of these in due course, but suffice to say, this book is a game changer, if not a life changer for me. Where do you go from here?


Harvard (and Radcliffe) History Alumni Project
Harvard Professor Zach Nowak is looking for Harvard and Radcliffe alumni/ae who had a concentration, joint, or secondary in History to take part in an oral history project.
Next semester he’ll be teaching his course on the history of Harvard College, HIST 1636: Intro to Harvard History. While there are excellent first-hand narratives of college life in the 1800s, there are very few diaries and letters from students after the 1950s. As part of the course requirements, his current Harvard College students will record an oral history with an alum, transcribe it, and deposit a copy printed on archival cotton paper in the Harvard University Archives. This will give them a much better history of the last seventy years of our institutions (both Harvard and Radcliffe) and get more voices into the Archives. Recent graduates are also welcome. We expect the time commitment to be no more than two hours and you can review the transcription before it is deposited.
1:00PM Mon 14 Dec 2020 - 11:59PM Sun 31 Jan 2021, Pacific timezone
Virtual Event Instructions:


DON’T GUT THE 42ND ST. LIBRARY! DON’T SELL THE MID-MANHATTAN!
Yet again the city’s shortsightedness will cause another historic building to suffer. The NYPL has plans to gut the beautiful and historic Midtown Public Library on 42nd and 5th. A quote from Mayor de Blasio:
“I am calling on the City to halt the New York Public Library’s plans at the Central Library, and for a thorough, independent cost audit and review of the proposed project…This review should evaluate the complete financial risks associated with the current plan, and seriously consider alternative ways to use City funds to ensure the preservation of the NYPL’s valuable collection stored at the Central Library and preserve the Mid-Manhattan branch as a functioning library.” – NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio during his campaign, July 12th, 2013
As usual when the city and developers don’t want things known to the public they hold private meetings behind closed doors, in this case they created a plan through a closed process with no public advice, or say.


Borrowing thoughts today.. . Sometimes it's like someone else has read my mind. Kylie Alger, a certified wellness coach and co-owner of the Well-Woman: Body, Mind and Spirit (email@example.com) gets the credit for today's thoughts. Thanks, Kylie. This is great inspiration to keep on keepin' on.
A familiar story about the transformation of a butterfly is, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." In this children's book, the hungry caterpillar eats and eats and eats until one day he sits on a branch, builds a cocoon, and then viola. . . "Out comes a beautiful butterfly!"
The butterfly's incredible metamorphosis sounds effortless, but what this simple story doesn't explain is the epic struggle a caterpillar endures to free itself from the confinement of its cocoon. I wasn't aware of such a struggle until I heard another story I will paraphrase here:
A little boy once found a caterpillar. He took it home, fed it every day, and watched the caterpillar grow until one day the caterpillar built a cocoon. The boy patiently watched the cocoon until finally, a small hole appeared where the butterfly would eventually come out. The boy was so excited, but the quickly became concerned because it looked like the butterfly was frantically moving inside the cocoon, looking like it wasn't making any progress. The poor butterfly appeared desperate, so the boy decided to help --- he hurried to get small manicure scissors and very gently snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger so the butterfly could easily emerge.
But instead of big beautiful wings, the butterfly had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The boy continued to watch the butterfly, expecting that at any moment the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. But it never happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its short life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly …
So what happened? Why was the butterfly crippled? It turns out that the butterfly was supposed to struggle. The hardship of the butterfly working through the small opening of the cocoon is what forces fluid from its swollen body into its beautiful wings. Unfortunately, without the struggle, the butterfly's wings will never develop properly. The boy's good intentions ended up hurting the butterfly.
Just like a butterfly, we, too, can benefit from our struggles. Without obstacles, we would be denied the opportunity to grow and transform like a butterfly. Without struggles, we could end up like the crippled butterfly, with an inability to soar.
Without trying to sound cliched, it's like the quote, "Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." While struggling usually feels painful, it's often the struggle that builds resiliency. "I am thankful for my struggle because with out it, I wouldn't have stumbled upon my strength," says writer and wellness consultant, Alexandra Elle.
Take time to reflect on you life and identify times when you have struggled. With hindsight, you may discover that those were the times you grew the most, as those difficult times offered you the greatest opportunity for personal growth and transformation.
Take time to reflect on your life and identify times when you have struggled. With hindsight, you may discover that those were the times you grew the most, as those difficult times offered you the greatest opportunity for personal growth and transformation.
People who recognize their struggles as part of a bigger picture are often able to give meaning to their suffering and find themselves better equipped to take on other challenges when they arise.
"Whatever we face, we have a choice: Will we be blocked by obstacles, or will we advance through them and over them?" asks Ryan Holiday, author of "The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph."
If you find yourself in a struggle, don't be afraid of it. And if you haven't struggled in a while, maybe it's time to strengthen your wings by seeking new opportunities for growth.


Amber LED Book Light: Healthy Reading Companion
Amber LED Book Light: Healthy Reading Companion
The Amber LED Book Light, convenience, and comfort come together. Imagine yourself sitting up with a good book and taking in this unique device's soft glow. It's more than simply a light it's made to maintain the health and happiness of your eyes while you lose yourself in the pages. Amber LED Book Light will transform your reading experience.
Overview of Amber LED Book Light
When it comes to dedicated readers looking for a cozy and visually appealing method to enjoy their favorite activity, the Amber LED Book Light is unique. This e-reader device is perfect for long reading sessions since it creates a gentle, amber glow that reduces strain on the eyes and encourages relaxation, unlike typical book lights.
Because of its clip-on style, it is simple to attach to any book and provides ideal light without bothering those around it. Users can read for hours on end without disruption when using a rechargeable battery, whether they're studying late into the night, traveling, or just getting up in bed.
Not only is the Amber LED Book Light a useful tool, but it also opens the door to a happier and more healthy reading experience.
How does the Amber LED book light work?
The Amber LED Book Light provides a gentle amber light through the use of cutting-edge LED technology. Select this color because it minimizes the intake of blue light, which is known to irritate the eyes and disturb sleep cycles.
The device is turned on, and its internal LED bulbs produce an amber light that gives book pages a soft glow without sharp brightness. For equal lighting, the light travels equally, enabling readers to easily view the text without eye strain.
In addition, book lights usually have a clip-on design that makes it simple to attach to a book or e-reader's pages for hands-free reading.
Benefits of Amber LED Book Light
The use of an Amber LED book light has numerous benefits that directly affect readers' comfort and well-being. First and foremost, the device's amber light, which reduces blurred vision, makes reading for long periods easier and more comfortable.
- Reduced Eye Strain: The amber light helps to reduce eye strain, which makes it more comfortable to read for extended periods.
- Peaceful Environment: Before going to bed, the soft glow of the amber light produces an atmosphere of calm that is ideal for relaxing.
- Portability: It is easy to connect to books because of its clip-on function and compact design, which makes it suitable for usage both at home and on the move.
- Long Battery Life: Rechargeable batteries, which are included in many models, allow for a longer period between battery replacements.
- Environmental friendliness: Rechargeable batteries help the environment stay healthy by reducing waste.
Features of LED book light
Several features are included with LED book lights to improve the reading experience. These usually include adjustable brightness levels, so users may adjust their light to fit their surroundings and desires.
LED book lights are easy to attach to books, e-readers, and other surfaces thanks to their clip-on design, which also provides hands-free lighting for comfortable reading.
- Adjustable Brightness: A lot of LED book lights have brightness settings that may be changed to suit the surroundings and personal preferences.
- Clip-On Design: Most LED book lights have a clip-on design that makes it simple to affix them to books, e-readers, or other surfaces so they can illuminate hands-free.
- Flexible Neck: Some models have an adjustable or flexible neck that enables users to angle the light for the best possible lighting without distraction.
- Rechargeable Batteries: Many LED lights are equipped with built-in rechargeable batteries, which reduces maintenance requirements and extends battery life.
- Lightweight and Portable: LED book lights are often small and light, which makes them easy to read when on the go at home, on the road, or in other locations.
In conclusion, the Amber LED book light is a game-changer for book lovers everywhere and goes beyond being a basic reading device. It transforms reading and makes every page enjoyable with its calming amber glow, changeable brightness, and easy clip-on design.
Whether it's an exciting adventure or a quiet time of reflection, this unique device significantly increases the joy of reading by decreasing eye strain and generating a peaceful atmosphere.
Its lightweight design and long-lasting rechargeable battery guarantee that anyone, anywhere, at any time, may experience the enchantment of reading.
Is it possible to change the amber light's brightness?
Because amber LED book lights have movable brightness levels, you may alter the amount of light to suit your mood and surroundings.
What is the duration of the battery's life between charges?
While battery life varies based on usage and type, many LED book lights can operate continuously for several hours on a single charge. Some models offer up to 20 hours of illumination.
Is it okay to read before bed in the amber light?
LED book lights produce an amber light that is specially made to lessen blurred vision and disturb sleep cycles, which makes them perfect for reading before bed.
Can I do anything besides read with the LED book light?
LED book lights are versatile and can be used for various tasks such as crafting, studying, or working in low-light conditions. Their portable and adjustable design makes them suitable for a wide range of activities beyond reading.


Welcome to the Accelerated Reader Program! The North Allegheny School District offers a new and improved Accelerated Reader Program.
What improvements have been made to the AR Program?
- There are over 165,000 tests available!
- You have access to many more tests than there are books in our Library!
- This list grows larger each week!
- There is a great new website where you to search for an AR Book!
Click here to take an AR test.
Can I take an Accelerated Reader Test from Home?
- Yes, students can test from home.
Does my book have an Accelerated Reader test?
- Search for your book in the AR Book Finder. This site is available from any computer with Internet access.
What else can I do on the AR BookFinder site?
- Search for a new book by title, author, what the book is about, and what other kids think about the book.
- Make and print a bookbag of the titles of all of the great books that you find.
Have fun reading a great book today!
Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Johnston


Death By Cuckoo
Jack Jouett's heroic 40 mile ride to save thomas Jefferson
Our newest play in our Virginia History Mystery series, Death by Cuckoo features the unhknown but heroic Louisa County Revolutionary War hero, Jack Jouett.
Death by Cuckoo tells the miraculous story of how Jack Jouett was able to leave Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa County, VA and rode overland 40 miles in the dark of night to warn Thomas Jefferson at Monticello that Bloody Tarleton was on his way to capture him. Tarleton's short stop for food at Cuckoo Tavern became extended because of the quick thinking of the tavern owner and serving wrench. It did help that these American patriots knew that Tarleton's was in a hurry to capture Jefferson and they were determined that he would fail. And he did!


2016 proved to be a great year for new and exciting horror novels. The genre seems to be having somewhat or a renaissance as of late, giving readers plenty of writers old and new to be on the look out for. Whittling the shortlist down proved to be quite tricky, but nonetheless, here are our personal top 5 horror novels of 2016:
5. Hex – by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Blair Witch Project meets Big Brother in this very strange morality tale. It is set in a town called Black Spring, whose community have to deal with the burden of a local undead witch that wanders around where she pleases. The imagery of her mouth and eyes sewn together for a previous crime is quite harrowing, and there is always this sense of dread throughout the book that you’re not too far away from a horrific disaster happening. It’s a great read that hurls gothic fiction into the 21st century by blending traditional horror settings and themes with modern day technology and thinking.
4) The Last Days of Jack Sparks – by Jason Arnopp
The title of this book pull no punches; these are indeed the last days of Jack Sparks. Jack is an experiential journalist – think along the lines of Jon Ronson or Louis Theroux, but much more obnoxious – who is investigating the supernatural. More importantly, he is trying to disprove the supernatural. As you can expect, it’s not as straight forward as that. One laugh out loud at an exorcism and our anti-hero wishes he never began his latest study. The book is written in the ‘found document’ format, so you get to establish the character’s changes in mood and opinion as the book progresses, and you can’t help but feel the impending doom that awaits Jack Sparks.
3) The Loney – by Andrew Michael Hurley
Not all horror novels have to be out and out scary stories to be good reads, as Andrew Michael Hurley proves with his masterful tale ‘The Loney’. It focuses on two brothers, one mute, whose family and the local church congregation visit a desolate coastline shrine each year with the hope of a miracle cure. Upon their latest trip, the boys explore the coastline, known as the Loney, but find more than they bargained on. This is an unsettling and atmospheric book, which invites the reader to imagine the horrors that are subtly implied.
2) The House on Cold Hill – by Peter James
From the shocking opening chapter, the reader immediately knows that they are in for a bumpy ride, with a few twists, turns and scares along the way. A new family moves into a large Georgian mansion in the Sussex countryside, and it doesn’t take long to realise that they are not the only occupants in the house. Peter James goes back to his supernatural horror roots with this fresh take on a haunted house story that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
1) Slade House – by David Mitchell
Speaking of haunted houses, David Mitchell’s Slade House is one property that you do not want to find yourself visiting. Every nine years a ‘guest’ is invited into Slade House. At first all seems too good to be true, but then the guest quickly learns that they cannot leave. This is a creepy and bizarre novel full of vivid imagery that keeps you reading on to find out the fate of every guest. A genuinely chilling tale that is a must read for horror and fantasy fiction fans.
Are there any standout horror novels of 2016 that we may have missed out? Do you have a personal favourite? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments below on any recommended horror novels.


The button below links to a Google Sheet detailing the latest versions for all TAE40122 traditional materials.
Several TAE40122 assessment tasks require video evidence. This master document contains:
Adapt this Word document for your RTO’s video submission processes and requirements, then distribute it to TAE participants as required. Our assessment tasks reference these requirements.
We provide one Task Instructions and Report document for each assessment task required to attain the unit/s of competency covered in each TAE40122 module. This means that for most TAE40122 modules, we provide more than one Task Instructions and Report document.
Each Task Instructions and Report document contains:
We provide a set of Templates for each assessment task required for each TAE40122 module. Participants may use these template to complete assessment tasks.
We format each Template as a stand-alone document. This means that we may provide several templates for each assessment task.
We provide one Delivery and Assessment Guide for each TAE40122 module. This is the first document that TAE trainers, assessors or RTO staff should read. It provides:
We provide one Competency Map for each TAE40122 module. The competency map shows how the assessment task/s collectively cover the requirements of the unit/s of competency covered in each module.
We provide one Module Introduction Handout for each TAE40122 module. Distribute this handout (or equivalent) to TAE participants at the start of the module—it provides a brief introduction to the module and outlines the assessment tasks that participants must complete.
We provide one Participant Manual for each TAE40122 module. The participant manual is like the textbook for this module. It contains information and examples of work to guide TAE participants as they complete learning activities and assessment tasks.
We provide a choice of optional learning Activities for each TAE40122 module. All activities are optional. Where applicable, you will find the answer key for activities in the relevant Delivery and Assessment Guide.
We provide one PowerPoint deck for each TAE40122 module. TAE program leaders use the PowerPoint as visual prompts to guide instruction and facilitation.


NC Sorosis is the oldest Federated Woman’s Club in North Carolina. Organized in 1895, the club has played a significant role in the betterment of our community and state since its founding. Some early endeavors included the establishment of the New Hanover County Public Library and the purchase of Greenfield Lake by the City of Wilmington. North Carolina Junior Sorosis is a women’s volunteer organization founded in 1938 by N.C. Sorosis. NCS members recognized that their daughters wanted to volunteer also, hence Junior Sorosis, for women 18-45 years old.
NC Sorosis and NC Junior Sorosis are members of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), the world’s oldest and largest volunteer organization. GFWC has over one million members in more than 20 countries.
Proceeds from the event provide scholarships and assistance to many local organizations and families. Some of the organizations who benefit include UNC-W Scholarships, Nourish NC-School Backpack Program, Communities in Schools, Domestic Violence Shelter,Boys and Girls Home, New Hanover Regional Medical Center patients, Lower Cape Fear Hospice, WARM, Cape Fear Literacy Council, Area Volunteer Fire Departments, New Hanover County Schools and Libraries, NC Aquariums, and Airlie Gardens.
For more information on NC Sorosis, please visit our website. http://www.ncsorosis.org


Let’s Talk about Parenting
This year long series of free Parenting Talks has been organised by Kildare Library Service with support from the following agencies and organisations: HSE Primary Care Psychology Team,TUSLA Child and Family Agency, Mental Health Ireland, Public Health Nurse HSE, Pieta House, IFPA, An Garda Síochána and is funded by Kildare County Council.
Attendance at all of the events is free of charge and open to everyone but advance booking is required. Please contact the library where the talk is happening to book your place.
A brochure outlining all the talks and workshops will be available from your local library later this month. For further information please check out www.kildare.ie/library
See below the talks for January and February with lots more to come in libraries across the county throughout the year.
John Lonergan & Caroline Crotty
Parenting : The Challenges and Rewards
John Lonergan served in the Irish Prison Service for over 42 years and retired as Governor of Mount Joy in 2010. He has published a highly acclaimed memoir “The Governor” and “Parenting – Raising Your Child in Ireland Today” and has been presenting talks for parents for over 25 years based on his own experience of parenting. Caroline Crotty is a Counsellor & Psychotherapist with clinics in West Cork, Cork and Waterford. John and Caroline will focus on a number of important issues facing parents of children of all ages..
John and Caroline together will talk about our relationship with modern technology and social media, the challenge of communication between children and parents, the importance of listening and hearing our children, the communication barriers that we as parents create and the importance of praise and positivity.The main emphasis will be on raising awareness for parents by highlighting the simple things that can make a difference.
Leixlip Library : Thursday 11th February 7pm
Cop On: What it is and why your child needs it to thrive and survive in today’s world
Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist. He is a frequent contributor to both the national broadsheet press (Irish Times, Irish Independent) and Newstalk’s Moncrieff.
Colman will discuss how to equip your children to cope with life’s challenges and to foster “cop on” through fostering emotional intelligence , self awareness and adaptive decision- making . He will explain the importance of communicating & learning to see the your child’s world through their eyes. His honest & practical insights offers a roadmap to guide your child to survive and thrive in today’s world.
Naas Library: Tuesday 23rd February 7pm
Leixlip Library: Thursday 3rd March 7pm
Help your Baby or Young Child Sleep Better
Presented by Sinead Lawlor, PHN/Sleep Practitioner for HSE Kildare/West Wicklow
Sinead is a Public Health Nurse and Sleep Practitioner for HSE Kildare/West Wicklow. She runs the Pre-School Children’s Sleep Clinic for all of Kildare in the Clane Primary Care Centre.
This session will look at the common sleep problems that infants and young children have. It addresses the causes of these problems and looks at ways that parents can improve the quality and quantity of their child’s sleep. The session is suitable to any parents of young children up to the age of 10.
Celbridge Library : Thursday 4th February 7pm
Happy Parent /Happy Teen
Presented by Sheila O’Malley, Relationship & Parenting Mentor
Sheila O’Malley is one of Ireland’s leading Professional Trainers/Public Speakers in the area of Well Being. Sheila holds a degree in Relationship Studies in addition to her Parent Mentoring qualification. She has been a Correspondent for Independent Newspapers and ran a TV slot on TV3 as well as on the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk Radio.
Sheila will advise on how to establish a loving, trusting relationship with your teenager and negotiate the minefield of discos, alcohol, and screen time. Sheila will also look at positive relationships, peer pressure, body image and celebrity culture
Athy Library: Tuesday 9th February 7pm
Mental Wellbeing and Self Care Strategies for Parents
Presented by Finola Colgan from Mental Health Ireland
You cannot get water from a dry well – parents must take care of their own mental well being first. Finola will explore our understanding of mental health and wellbeing and how we can develop good coping strategies at stressful and anxious times. This presentation will include the five steps to good mental health
Connect, Be Active,Take Notice, Keep Learning & Give.
Celbridge Library – Thursday 25th February 7pm
Understand Social Networking & Cyberbullying : How to Protect Your Teen Online
Presented by Fiona Ashe from Flashefoward Communicaions
Fiona Ashe is an award-winning digital marketing consultant and trainer. Social networks have become a more dangerous place for teenagers, with a significant rise in cyberbullying. The more parents know about the world of social networking, the more they can protect their children and teens. This training course will look at teenage behaviour online, examine the huge peer pressure on teenagers and the issues of privacy which the internet presents. It will also analyse cyberbullying: what it is, what forms it takes, how to combat it and how to prevent it.
Maynooth Library – Wednesday 24th February 7pm
Continuous Professional Development Certificates of Attendance for all Parenting talks/workshops in 2016 will only be given in person on the evening/day of the event. So please remember to ask for your cert before you leave as we will not be in a position to provide them at a later date
Sign up for our email service through your local library to receive monthly mailing information on these and all library events.
Athy Library : Tel 059 8631144 Email email@example.com
Celbridge Library : Tel 01 6272207 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Kildare Town Library: Tel 045 530235 Email: email@example.com
Leixlip Library: Tel: 01 6060050 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Maynooth Library : Tel 01 6285530 Email: email@example.com
Naas Library: Tel 045 879111 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Newbridge Library: Tel 045 448353 Email: email@example.com
To find out what’s available in Co. Kildare and West Wicklow for parents check out www.parentingsupport.ie – Providing information on parenting supports and services in Kildare and West Wicklow.
Category: Free Events , Leixlip Library , Parenting Courses , Positive Mental Health


You could help provide a safe, warm place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep on a cold winter’s night by joining us at The Vernon Towne Theater for a movie night!
In a recent study, 224 people had no place to live in Vernon, BC. This was an increase of 33% from the 2019 homeless statistics of 151 people. Not everyone that is homeless lives unsheltered lives. Some have a place to sleep in our Amalgamated Shelter, live in motels, or couch surf with friends and family. According to the study, 54 people live unsheltered lives meaning that 54 people live rough on the streets and in our parks in Vernon with no place to call home.
According to the survey,
67% of unsheltered people live outside
13% of unsheltered people live in a makeshift shelter or tent
11% of unsheltered people live in their vehicle
This study captures a moment in time in Vernon’s homeless community. These numbers are changing and growing, with fewer affordable housing options in our city. Not only this but according to Environment Canada, over 80 people die from cold exposure every year in Canada. A housing crisis coupled with an opioid crisis and the cold Canadian winters (even in the Okanagan) has created a big problem. People are dying; young people are dying and losing their limbs due to frostbite.
But we can do something about this! We can come together and help bring our most vulnerable neighbours In From The Cold.
Please join us on July 13th at 6:30 pm at the Vernon Towne Theater for a Thankful Thursday Night!
Once a month, Watkin Motors Ford and The Vernon Towne Theatre will donate 100% of the proceeds of ticket sales to a local community group. This month, the ticket proceeds will go to our Winter 2023 Mat Program to bring people In From The Cold!
Doors open at 6 pm, Presentation at 6:30, and the Film starts at 6:45 pm.
The Movie we are showing is “The Public.” The Public is about downtown Cincinnati librarians Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) and Myra (Jena Malone), who see their regular winter day shaken up when homeless patrons take shelter in their library for the night to escape the cold. What starts as a peaceful sit-in quickly escalates into a face-off with the police and the media.
Grab a friend and buy your tickets today!