Patrick’s top books of 2020
Shipping work is just as important as making work, so this list I made but did not ship in 2020. For me these were the top 10 books that I read and, that came out in 2020, which I would highly recommend to any of you. For me a book is memorable if I truly enjoy it or if it changes my view on a topic. There are a few books that completely changed my view on a topic and I hope they do the same for you!
- No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention
- A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond
- Caste by Isabell Wilkersson
- American Dirt
- Magdalena by Wade Davis
- Human Kind by Rutger Bergman
- Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America — A Recent History
- The Goodness Paradox: How Evolution Made Us Both More and Less Violent
- The Meritocracy Trap: Or, The Tyranny of Just Deserts
- The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy
No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reid Hastings
Corona has led us to finally rethink the factory model of work. Netflix started to rethink this a long time ago and they claim its part of their success. Instinctively I agree! From unlimited holidays, decision making at the bottom and generally an organisation where focus is on being fast as opposed to avoiding making mistakes. I believe many companies will follow their model.
A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond
Despite what many politicians say, my generation having fewer babies is a great thing and the issue is not a lack of people but a lack of jobs. Daniel does a great job of describing how this world will look like.
Caste by Isabell Wilkersson
Sometimes all that you need is a theory and suddenly all pieces fall into place. This is such a book and after you have read it you will never view the US the same. She makes the strong case that the US is a caste system just as strong as the Indian cast system. Brilliant read!
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins


Dr. Patricia Clark – Theater
Dr. Patricia “Patch” Clark is an Associate Professor and coordinator for both the Theatre for Youth and Theatre Education Programs at East Carolina University. She is also the Founder and Director of the ECU Storybook Theatre which tours to schools, libraries and festivals each year. Storybook Theatre has also appeared as part of ECU’s ArtsSmart and Family Fare Series for which she has directed such popular shows as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, James and the Giant Peach, Seussical the Musical, The Stinky Cheese Man, and The Jungle Book.
She has also written and directed Tales From Around the World, My, Hero Reaching for the Stars, Charlotte’s Web, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Runaway Bear ( in collaboration with the author of the original book, Chester Freeman) and All Aboard America! and All Aboard South America! (Original children’s musicals in collaboration with Dr. Linda High, School of Music, East Carolina University). Presentations about the original works were made in Lima, Peru and Beijing. In July of 2001 she directed the premiere production of Katmandu Off Broadway at the John Houseman Studio Theatre in NYC.
She has appeared in many roles in both the ECU Loessin Summer Theatre and ECU/Loessin Playhouse. Some favorite roles include Aunt Abby in Arsenic and Old Lace, Mrs. Tarleton in Misalliance, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, Beatrice in A View From The Bridge, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town (which starred Pat Hingle), and Grandma in The Grapes of Wrath. Previous favorite professional acting credits include the American Revels Company’s production of Othello (Bianca) and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge’s Niece.)
She has served as an educator, director, and consultant to both public and private schools including the Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts and Humanities at the University of Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and Longwood College and directed at the International Children’s Festival at the renowned Wolftrap Theatre in Vienna, Virginia. She is the author of Intergenerational Arts in the Nursing Home (Greenwood Press, 1991) and Seniors On Stage (Praeger, 1985.)
“Patch” also serves as the Director of the ECU Summer Drama Camp K-12 held each year on the East Carolina University campus.


ISO/IEC 27011:2016 — Information technology — Security techniques — Code of practice for information security controls based on ISO/IEC 27002 for telecommunications organizations
This ISMS implementation guide for the telecomms industry was developed jointly by ITU-T and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 27, with the identical text being published as both ITU-T X.1051 and ISO/IEC 27011.
Scope and purpose
“Establishes guidelines and general principles for initiating, implementing, maintaining, and improving information security controls in telecommunications organizations based on ISO/IEC 27002; [and]
Provides an implementation baseline of information security controls within telecommunications organizations to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of telecommunications facilities, services and information handled, processed or stored by the facilities and services.”
Content of the standard
In addition to minor variations/explanations of the core content of ISO/IEC 27002, there is an ‘extended control set’ with additional advice for telecoms organizations on access controls, physical and environmental security, communications security and compliance. It includes further guidance on network security, covering “cyber attacks” and network congestion.
Status of the standard
The standard was first published in 2008.
It was revised to reflect the 2013 versions of ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002 and published in 2016.
A corrigendum was published in 2018, correcting the title of clause 8.2.1.
A revision project is at 2nd Working Draft stage. The title will become “Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection - Code of practice for Information security controls based on ISO/IEC 27002 for telecommunications organizations”.
ITU-T proposed extending ISO/IEC 27011 with two new parts, namely:
- Security management Guidelines for Small and Medium-sized telecommunications organizations [X.sgsm]: a guide to the implementation of information security management based on X.1051 (ISO/IEC 27011);
- Asset Management Guidelines [X.amg]: a guide to good asset management practices for telecoms organizations.
Those are not part of ISO/IEC 27011:2016. Perhaps they will become separate standards, or will be incorporated into the 3rd edition?
< Previous standard ^ Up a level ^ Next standard >


You know I truly believe in positive thinking but on the days when I am not feeling good, I like to take off these books from the shelf and one of them always gives me hope and reminds me to be grateful for my life. These three books mean a lot for me. I read the books again and again in the last five years when I needed something to remember life is beautiful, people are nice and kind, there is always hope, love, and everything happens for a reason.
- Dalai Lama – Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World
I like the Dalai Lama’s teaching and spiritual speeches. This is one of my favorite books when I’d like to read something about our world and understand how it works. I always read it again because it makes me so calm and hopeful. It is just nice to read about positive things.
As it says in the title, he shares his thoughts on the world in a nonreligious way. It tells you how to live a happier and peaceful life. He shares the most important values and ethics he believes that should be in central in our lives and the world.
The book is a guide on how to improve human life on individual, community and global levels.
- Oprah Winfrey – Everything What I Know For Sure
Oprah became of the world most extraordinary women in the last decades and compared where she came from I really respect her. I love to read her stories about her life, what and how she learned. After reading it again and again, I always realize I just need to keep calm, enjoy life and don’t stress about everything. Everything happens as it should be.
So after she made history with her famous show, she started to write amazing books (and do more stuff of course). In this book, she tells life lessons, her experiences to inspire us. She wrote about the joy of life, the connection between people, gratitude, and power.
She provides a guide on how to become our best selves.
- (only in Hungarian) Balogh Béla, Dr. Szondy Máté, Paulinyi Tamás, Popper Péter – A Boldogság nyomában (How to Find Happiness)
One thing that every people desire is LOVE but sometimes it seems like hopeless what we will never find. After you realize, love not depends on the circumstances or people around you, it depends only on you and how can you create it for yourself. These different writers of the book, try to explain to you the most wonderful thing in life, love.
This books taught me about self-love, to be loved and how to love others.


Per the Dallas Public Library Master Plan completed in 2001, the Highland Hills branch on Simpson Stuart needs to be replaced. Says the lengthy-look see, an excerpt from which follows, the built-in-1980 branch is among the smallest in the city at a mere 10,000 square feet, and that’s “inadequate due to its heavy usage by patrons.”
And so, for its 2006 bond program, the city included in Proposition Four — devoted entirely to library facilities — some $1 million for land acquisition and a design for the new Highland Hills branch. But no money was set aside to actually build the new branch. Same went for North Oak Cliff, Preston Royal, Park Forest and Forest Green: They’ll all be replaced. One day. When there’s money. But the city has the land. So there’s that.
But tomorrow, the council’s Arts, Culture & Libraries Committee will be told there’s money left over from the 2006 bond program: $8,749,898, to be precise. It comes from myriad sources, as you’ll see below; among them, it didn’t cost as much to buy the new site for Preston Royal (which is now on Forest), and the city only spent $258,616 out of $2.2 mil set aside for the downtown central library.
The City Manager’s Office is recommending using $6 million of that savings to go ahead and build Highland Hills — which will make Tennell Atkins happy, since it’s in his district … and since he also sits on the ACL committee. Matter of fact, it was high on his to-do list way back in September, during one of the newly reformed committee’s first meetings on this very subject.
And according to the briefing, the rest of the money will go toward overhauling the seventh floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library — home of the invaluable Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division. As the briefing notes, way back in ’95 the Friends of the Dallas Public and the city agreed to team up to fund a central library overhaul, floor by floor; for the seventh, the Friends committed and raised $3 million, which the city has agreed to match. And now that it has it, well, match game on.
More to come tomorrow, after the briefing (which also includes that AT&T PAC coffee shop-box office). Till then, some reading follows. Check it out.
ACL LibraryFacilitiesUpdate 041612ACL LibraryFacilitiesUpdate 041612


Please join us each month for our Twitter Chat sessions with industry professionals lead by our Social Media Coordinator, Valerie Lawson.
Watch our calendar for upcoming chats at oklahoma.scbwi.org. No matter the date, each Twitter chat session will last one hour, from 7-8 PM CST, and we will be using the hashtag #okscbwichat. Email questions to: Valerie Lawson email@example.com
JANUARY 26th – Topic Chat
Topic Chat: Surviving the Pandemic and Still Thriving Creatively. Sharing how we are remaining creative – or not!
To recap this Twitter Chat visit: http://bit.ly/3pqtjMS
FEBRUARY 23rd – Rivkah Lafille
Rivkah Lafille is a Graphic Novelist and the Austin SCBWI Chapter Illustrator Coordinator. Her graphic novel series, STEADY BEAT, was nominated by the American Library Association’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens List. She was nominated as a Lulu of the Year by Friends of Lulu for her work in promoting women in comics, and she won the Austin SCBWI Portfolio Showcase Award, presided over by Caldecott winner and New York Times bestselling author, Dan Santat!
Currently, Rivkah is working on a graphic novel series with First Second.
Learn more about Rivkah on her website here.
Her Twitter handle is @LafilleRivkah
To recap the Twitter Chat with Rivkah Lafille visit: https://wakelet.com/wake/h89-LRORqp7VbuixbVIDM
MARCH 23rd – Kim Rogers
Kim Rogers writes books, short stories, and poems across all children’s literature age groups. She is a contributor to Ancestor Approved coming February, 2021 with HarperCollins / Heartdrum. Her debut picture book, Just Like Grandma, illustrated by Julie Flett, is slated for winter 2023 with HarperCollins / Heartdrum. Her work has also been published in Highlights for Children, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and many other publications.
Kim is a Cynsations reporter covering children’s-YA writing, illustration, publishing and other book news from Indigenous authors and illustrators. She is an enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Much of her current writing highlights her Wichita heritage.
She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, two boys, and one ornery, but very cute Chiweenie dog named Lucky.
Learn more about Kim on her website here.
Her Twitter handle is @kimrogerswriter.
APRIL 27th – Topic Chat
Topic Chat: Let’s Talk Process! How do you even write or illustrate a book? Share your Process and Writing Tips!
MAY 25th – Mariana Llanos
Mariana Llanos was born in Lima, Peru. Mariana developed an early passion for writing poetry, short stories, and plays all the way through school. She studied Theatre in the prestigious school CuatroTablas based in Lima, and moved to Oklahoma in 2002. In 2013, she published her first book, Tristan Wolf, which won a Finalist spot in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Book Award. Since then, she has published several books in English and Spanish.
Using Skype and Google Hangouts, she has visited more than 150 schools in the United States and around the world. These visits allow Mariana to spread her love for reading and writing, as well as to promote understanding and cultural awareness. In 2014 she won the Most Outstanding Latino Artist in Literature given by the Hispanic Arts Council of Oklahoma.
She’s a founding member of #LatinxPitch, an online initiative to books representation of Latino creators in the publishing industry. Mariana’s most recent works include Luca’s Bridge (Penny Candy Books 2019), Eunice and Kate (Penny Candy Books 2020) and the upcoming Run Little Chaski (Barefoot Books 2021).
Learn more about Mariana on her website here.
Her Twitter handle is @marianallanos.
JUNE 22nd – Cassandra Federman
Cassandra was born and raised in Massachusetts, where she spent her childhood reading comic books, playing action figures, drawing superheroes, and participating in all things nerdy (before that became cool).
She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University and moved to Los Angeles, where she worked in film and television. Over the course of her life, Cassandra has been many things — a hand model, a wrestler, a manatee rescuer, an actor, and a mystic wood elf — but her favorite so far has been a children’s book author/illustrator.
She made her author/illustrator debut in 2019 with This Is a Sea Cow (Albert Whitman). The sequel, This Is a Seahorse, came out in 2020 and received multiple starred reviews.
Learn more about Cassandra on her website here.
Her Twitter handle is @CassFederman.
JULY 27th – Topic Chat
Topic Chat: Let’s Talk Business! What happens after you sign? Practical questions you want answers to life of being an actual working writer or illustrator.
AUGUST 24th – TBD – SCBWI OK Fall Event Speaker
SEPTEMBER 28th – Ginny Myers Sain
Ginny Myers Sain comes from a long line of writers, but her first love has always been the theatre. When she was a kid, she spent a lot of time creating characters and plots for her little brother and sister to act out. As a reader, she’s drawn to the creepy, the strange, and the spooky. As a writer, she enjoys creating dark and mysterious stories that exist in the in-between spaces where magic feels most possible. Her debut YA novel, DARK AND SHALLOW LIES, which is scheduled to release this fall, has all of these elements.
Ginny currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her teenage son and a very cowardly Doberman named Shipley. When not working in the theatre or writing, you’re likely to find her listening to true crime podcasts, eating tacos, or planning a trip to Walt Disney World.
Learn more about Ginny on her website here.
Her Twitter handle is @stageandpage.
OCTOBER 26th – TBD – SCBWI OK Fall Event Speaker


The best book-length treatment of political knowledge is probably What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters by Delli Carpini & Keeter. The thing is full of information, statistics, and analysis of why political knowledge matters in a democracy. A brilliant book.
So I'm looking at a 2-page table (Table 2.7, for those who care) and it has all these questions and the percent who answered them correctly over many many years, over many many surveys. They have two categories on this table: geography and social & political history. The highest percent correct for geography was locating Texas on a map (91 percent). The lowest? Where is Belize (4 percent). On social and political history, the greatest accuracy was on identifying the first president of the U.S. (93 percent), and the lowest asked what happened in 1066 (10 percent). Oh, the answer to the blog title -- Battle of Hastings.
I think it's kinda neat that at least 10 percent got the last one right. Honestly, it could have been a lot lower.
For those of you fascinated by political knowledge and what people know, I cannot recommend this book high enough. It ranges from what we mean by political knowledge to why it matters. I'll blog about it some more between debates, polls, and other presidential stuff. Hell, you could blog the appendices for a week and not run out of material.


Tim Speer lives in Midland, Texas, with his beautiful wife. They have two grown children. His hobbies include hiking, photography, mineral collecting, and astronomy – essentially enjoying all of God’s creation from crystals that come from deep inside the earth, to celestial objects in the deepest regions of outer space.
Seventy Times Seven
After first playing a hero and rescuing Amy from imminent danger in the wilderness, Michael agrees to help her again, this time providing legal help to try to save the Life Center that Amy manages. However, it may be Michael who is the one most in need of help. And however daunting his rescue of Amy may have been, Amy now faces an even more challenging task. She soon finds that Michael is haunted by a troubled past, and, that he has undertaken a mission that she knows can only lead to darkness. While Michael saved her life, Amy must now try to help save Michael's soul. To do so she will have to get him to face his past, to find and accept the forgiveness that not even he is willing to give himself, and more importantly, to forgive those who are the objects of the hatred he holds deep within him.
A gripping tale of forgiveness, redemption, and the sanctity of life.
Return To Paradise
A place where prayer, faith, hope, love, and little miracles come together. Return To Paradise is the story of a physical detour that turns in to a spiritual journey.
A detour and a freak accident result in David finding himself in the small farming community of Spring River. Is David's arrival in Spring River purely happenstance, or is there a reason for him to be there? As David learns more about the corrupt practices of the local bank he must decide what role, if any, he will play in trying to stop the foreclosures. Complicating his decision is Sarah, a local waitress. With plans to only be in town a couple of days, David knows that Sarah will likely be just a passing acquaintance. But is that all she really is to him?
Through prayer and faith, the town of Spring River is given new hope. Through prayer and learning to surrender to God's will, David is shown the path that God has for him.
Return To Paradise - Trailer
Return To Paradise
"Tim Speer has written a wonderful story that will grip your heart and deeply affect your soul. You will thoroughly enjoy the journey!"
Author/Executive Producer: Seven Days in Utopia
"An enjoyable journey with a good man who tries to do the right thing despite difficult circumstances. I liked the character interaction and the carefully knit romance. I looked forward to reading it each night and hope this author will write some other books."
Ann K. Frailey
Author: Georgios: Hidden Heritage, Aram, Neb The Great: Shadows of the Past, and Ishtar's Redemption: Trial by Fire
"After being delayed in Spring River on his way to a college homecoming, an interior voice tells David he should stay for a while in that small town. When he listens to that voice, David meets Sarah, learns the practices of a troublesome bank, and feels the need to help the farmers affected. David is a man who recognizes God presence in his own life, and ultimately allows God to lead him in making decisions. Crossroads stop each of us in our lives. Crossroads slow us down, and cause us to think about which route we route we should take, and in which direction we should turn our lives. Because he listens to God, David’s choices become moral ones, and actually re-create him."
Kaye Park Hinckley
Author: A Hunger In the Heart, Mary's Mountain, and Birds of a Feather
10.0 out of 10.0 stars
"...this inspiring and endearing fictional tale about prayer, destiny and faith in God with little twists and turns that make Return to Paradise a homegrown read."
CBM Christian Book Review
Seventy Times Seven
"A great premise. We have the successful lawyer who loses his wife and unborn child to an act of terrorism; the story opens with him training in the mountains to carry out his revenge on the terrorists. And then we have the pro-life worker who needs a lawyer to fend off unfair yet typical legal maneuvers by local government; the story opens with her helping out with a youth camp out, in those same mountains. God brings them together in that wilderness in a most unexpected way, and their unlikely encounter leads to prayers answered; prayers raised to Him and prayers not dared even hoped for."
Author: The Practice of the Presence of God And the Spiritual Maxims and Life More Abundant
"Michael, the lawyer hero who target practices with his arsenal of weapons and works out in his spare time, reminded me a little of Rambo. His expertise in Tae Kwon Do comes in handy as he is forced to protect Amy and himself more than once. His fatal flaws initially discourage a burgeoning romance with Amy. The heroine runs a Life Center facing ruin by two unfair ordinances placed against it by a corrupt City Council. As Michael fights for Amy’s rights, she struggles to help Michael resolve his inner turmoil. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the machinations of the legal system and the inside look at the work of a Life Center. The author’s research also shone when describing Glacier National Park and Michael’s arsenal. The fast-paced story slows a few times in some dialogue, but picks up again with a vengeance with several surprising plot twists. The writing is straight forward, as are the characters. All things work to the good in this unapologetic pro-life novel of forgiveness of self as well as of others."
Elaine Lyons Bach
Author: Gentle Journey


Visitors to Rare Books LA - Pasadena will enjoy historic buildings, fine dining, abundant sunshine and culture during their visit to Pasadena. Your stay will not be complete without a visit to The Huntington Library following a day of shopping at the book fair. For more information, go to www.visitpasadena.com.
RARE BOOKS LA - PASADENA FEBRURY 4-6, 2022
Rare Books LA – Pasadena welcomes booksellers and bibliophiles from around the world to safely reconnect and share their love of rare books, fine prints, maps, ephemera, and more. In addition, the fair celebrates the centenary of James Joyce’s ground-breaking novel Ulysses.
During the month of February, Pasadena will be the epicenter of several events in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, considered one of the most important works of modernist literature. The Huntington Library is hosting the two-day conference: Joycean Cartographies: Navigating a New Century of Ulysses”, as well the special exhibition "Mapping Fiction" on novels and maps from the 16th through the 20th century, including a newly acquired series of engraved maps derived from Ulysses made by the artist David Lilburn. Joyce scholars are joining Rare Books LA for a free, online panel open to the public: “The Novel of the Century: Reflecting on James Joyce’s Ulysses on the 100th Anniversary of its Publication.”
The Westin Pasadena,
These special rates are available from Wednesday, February 2 – Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
Rates are available while supplies last and must be booked by Monday, January 03, 2022.
|Date||Time (PDT)||Event||Book Now|


Performance texts by Guillermo Gómez-Peña. Collage images by Enrique Chagoya. Bookwork designed and printed by Felicia Rice. “Inspired by the pre-Hispanic codices that escaped immolation during colonial invasions. Source.
Rice has created a series of beautiful and jarring montages in which the mixture of languages, slang, poetry, and prose of Gómez-Peña’s performance texts are woven through and around Chagoya’s collages filled with pre-Hispanic drawings, colonial-era representations of New World natives, and comic book superheroes.


This is a list of resources that I’m using currently to learn German or that I’ve reviewed and can recommend in good conscience. I’ve broken them down by (broad) category and included a short description where necessary.
Duden – This is the dictionary Germans use. It’s entirely in German.
Reverso Contexto – This is an excellent reference I use all the time, what it does is return contextual results for any word or phrase you search for in any language you like, along with a translation in any other language you like, e.g. you can search for a word or phrase in German and see results containing that word or phrase being used in real-life contexts like books, news articles, or movies along with a translation of them in English.
Reverso Dictionary – This is their dictionary, it’s in English and is what I usually use when I want an English-language German dictionary.
Linguee – Another English-language German dictionary that also returns contextual examples with an English translation, so what you get when you look up a word is the formal dictionary definiton (in English) along with contextual examples of it being used and an English translation of those examples.
Lessons & Courses
Deutsch für Euch – YouTube channel mostly for beginners and little bit for intermediates. The girl who runs it is German and explains everything in (fluent) English. Highly recommended.
GermanPod101 – Best German podcasts available in my opinion. Most of the podcasts themselves are free but all the extra stuff (transcripts, grammar lessons, exercises, etc.) cost money (few dollars a month as a subscription).
Complete Beginner’s Guide to Learning German Fast – Good but long page covering everything from how long it might take you to learn German to useful phrases and basic vocabulary for travelers. It’s very comprehensive and general, this is a page to bookmark and refer to.


In a nice (but very cold) afternoon in July this year, I met someone important in the National Gallery in Canberra, Australia. She was Ellen Tulip, my very first oral history interviewee.
The story goes back to November 2013, two months after I had started my MPhil thesis on the evacuation. A teacher at HKU learnt about my project. Knowing that I hadn’t been able to find any surviving evacuee, he was kind enough to put me in touch with Dr. Ellen Tulip. And that’s how I got to know Ellen. When I visited Canberra in September 2014, Ellen kindly offered to pick me up from the airport, and it turns out I picked the right time to visit: her elder sisters Margaret, who lives in Tasmania, and Allison, who lives in WA, were both visiting her. So in just one trip, I managed to see all three of them. We had Australian BBQ lunch, dinner and saw the Australian War Memorial together. But more importantly, I also held a group interview with Ellen and Margaret, and another individual interview with Allison, in which I learnt so much more about their family’s past.
Daughters of Prof. Gordon King (then a prof at the medical school at HKU) and Dr. Mary King, Allison, Margaret, and Ellen left Hong Kong with their mother in July 1940 with 3,331 other evacuees.
In many ways, their experience was not a typical evacuation story. Mary later also took the responsibility of looking after Jean Gittins’ two children. As Jean, daughter of Sir Robert Hotung (a prominent Eurasian tycoon in HK), and her husband were both Eurasians, she and her two children were not included in the evacuation scheme. With the White Australia policy, she couldn’t bring her two children to Australia. As Jean was working as Gordon’s secretary, he kindly offered that her two children could stay with his family. And so during the war years the two children stayed in the King household, until Mary had to go to China to support her husband’s war relief work. Most exceptionally, their father Gordon escaped from Hong Kong to free China in early 1942; the King family could remain in communication during the war. On the other hand, the majority of evacuees remained out of touch with the men in Hong Kong who were kept in camps there.
However exceptional their experience may be, their story still helped me – as a historian, as an outsider, as someone who had never lived through a wartime emergency – to understand what it was like for evacuees to start a new life in Australia. Their story told me how hard it was for the evacuees, many of them knew nothing about Australia, to just decide on where to disembark for the next few weeks (which ended up being years, and in many cases even decades). The Kings almost ended up in Perth in Australia: Mary was attracted to Perth in Australia, because ‘she came from Perth in Scotland and she thought Perth in Australia might be the same’. But as her friend was from Melbourne she decided eventually to go to Melbourne. Their story of rushing out to find somewhere to rent allowed me to understand evacuees’ anxiety from trying to find a home without knowing their bearings in Australia. Their narratives of their school lives suggest how it was relatively easy for children to adjust to life in Australia, as it was part of the British Empire. Their vivid recollection of the first reunion of their father seven years after the evacuation shows me how long-time separation disrupted parenthood and affected the evacuated families in a very personal way. Even though they could stay in touch with each other during the war, the three little girls that left Hong Kong in 1940 had become teenagers – it was Gordon and Mary’s first time seeing Margaret wearing lipstick!
After the war Gordon stayed in Hong Kong to help with the reopening of the University, and eventually became the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at HKU. The King girls moved to Scotland for schooling with their mother. Hoping to study medicine and be closer to their father to make up for lost time in the war years, Margaret and Ellen eventually moved back to Hong Kong and finished their university education there.
I am very lucky indeed to have made friends with the three of them, who brought me so much closer to the history that I was studying. This post is written, to the good health of the three King girls.


Spine and Joint Articulation for Manual Therapists
Ben Calvert-Painter is a co-author of Spine and Joint Articulation for Manual Therapists.
The book focuses on the practical application of articulation and mobilisation techniques with clear explanations and visual support of the techniques. Techniques are described for all body regions. Most other books for therapists include only one chapter on these important techniques.
This book covers a variety of best practise techniques for all areas of the body. Examples are given to show how to adapt the techniques with the patient in different positions. It also addresses the use of these techniques on children, the elderly and pregnant women.
The mechanisms of each technique are explained with reference to the related anatomy and physiology. Information is also given to help the therapist use the techniques safely (for both themselves and their patients) by adapting their own stance and posture to get maximum effect with minimum effort.
You can order a copy of the book via the PayPal link below.
Cost is £27 plus £2.95 p&p


In this sacred month of August we experience the Cosmic Fire of Divine Love and Universal Peace, amplified through the Sun and Solar Core and the Overlighting of Helios and Vesta. We are further experiencing a deeper union with Mother/Father God through the astrological and galactic keycodes of Light, experienced initially through the planetary configuration of the Star of David on July 29th, bringing through a deeper integration of the Divine Feminine principles and leading through this month to another planetary alignment on August 25th ~ a second Star of David ~ bringing through a deeper expression of the Divine Masculine principles. Additionally, as this star-tetrahedronal shape activates through our original Divine Eight-Cell Blueprint, and within and around the Light Body of Mother Earth, we experience a merging of the Divine Feminine and Masculine archetypes of Light, the opening of a Peace Portal, and the anchoring of an etheric Temple of Divine Love. As we connect to the Sun, the Central Sun and the Great Central Sun, we collectively create a deeper reverence for all men and women through empowerment, wisdom, justice, reverence and Divine Love.
The energy of the Divine Masculine and Feminine archetypes of Light is experienced energetically through the second ray Ashram of Love-Wisdom, and in particular through the Office of the Christed One. Through the Overlighting of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Ascended Ray of Christ, we heal all our relationships of abuse and abuser, and embrace our full range of emotions, as we experience the Divine Feminine archetypes of the Goddess, Mother (Queen), Priestess, Warrioress, Lover and Wise Woman, and the Divine Masculine archetypes of God, King, Priest, Warrior, Lover, and Sage.
As we merge with our Divine Feminine and Masculine Spirits, we bring a focus to the Stargate Peace Portal activation, and the energetic creation of a Temple of Divine Love through the Light Body of Mother Earth, anchoring the Light grids for a deeper level of Divine Love and Universal Peace to be experienced on the sacred earth on which we exist.
There is a greater sense of collective Christ Consciousness being experienced at this time, and the possibility to shift into the Christed Timelines. We hold this focus for ourselves and all Life in this Golden Age of Light, as together we experience and know ourselves as sacred transfiguring Flames of Divine Love in full expression of our Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine archetypes of Light.


It's impossible! The texts we have today are collated from thousands of different manuscripts, each of which contains some portion of the Bible. These manuscripts are all copies of copies - the original writings of Moses, Isaiah, Paul, etc., have long since been lost. However, there are so many manuscripts, and from so many different geographical locations, that experts are able to check and double-check different "readings". Thus, we can be sure of the trustworthiness of what we read in our translations today. There will be minor differences between translations, but none which contradict any of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible.
Today, opinion is divided between two different schools: those who prefer the so-called "eclectic method" popularised by Wescott and Hort, followed by Nestle in his Greek Text, and a minority (myself included :-) who prefer the Textus Receptus, on which the King James and other versions are based.
I repeat, though: the differences between these texts are small, and while they are important for detailed study of the Bible, they do not affect the doctrines of Scripture.
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The Bastard is Dead – Hard copy 322 pages for $9.95 Cnd. Also available at all ebook retailers.
Canadian Cycling Magazine Review:
“It’s a murder mystery, which is just the thing for summer reading . . . . Burke is a good central character. I like how he’s an every man, not a super-detective like Sherlock Holmes.”
Paul Burke is an ex-pro cyclist from Montreal, Canada who has settled down to a quiet, unproductive existence on the French Riviera. He’s managing to pay the bills but spends most of his time just killing time. Then the Tour de France comes to town and Burke finds himself caught up in one death and then a second. As he tries to sort out what has happened, Burke knows life will never be the same for him – and those around him. Read Chapters 1-3


Documentation comments (//! and ///) were removed from (kademlia) routing_table when it was put back in routing crate. Can Maidsafe restore these comments because they contain very interesting explanations about kademlia routing table?
(I am referring to [routing/src/routing_table/mod.rs] (https://github.com/maidsafe/routing/tree/master/src/routing_table/mod.rs))
The routing_table module will have to be publicly exposed to generate documentation (pub mod routing_table; in routing/src/lib.rs), but this is good thing because it contains useful functions for independent implementations or tests (and I suppose this is reason why it has been put in separate kademlia_routing_table crate for a while).
If Maidsafe doesn’t want to expose routing table, another solution would be to move this documentation to Xorable trait which is publicly exposed.


Lost Indian -- Frontier Tune
Be sure to include a phone number along with your carefully printed name and full address! Also, indicate how you would like the book signed. Click here if you have questions about the book!
Old Fort St. Vrain is also available at
942 9th Ave, Greeley, CO
The Fort Vasquez Museum
13412 U.S. 85 Platteville, CO 80651
Old Fort St. Vrain
A book by Diane Brotemarkle
Old Fort St. Vrain is well written, easy to understand and loaded with stories, illustrations and maps tracing the life of the fort and it's people throughout it's entire existance.
Dr. Brotemarkle has taught English and humanities at various colleges and universities in the United States and in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She directed the humanities program at Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado and is the author of 2 previous book-length publications on humanities topics. She has served as chairperson and on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Endowment for the Humanities. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing and research.
Old Fort St. Vrain is soft bound, 151 pages in length and is 6 x 9". You can get a signed copy by sending a check or money order for $16.95 (includes shipping and handling) to:
101 East Welch Ave.
Berthoud, CO 80513-1386
Old Fort St. Vrain, by Diane Brotemarkle, was published in early 2001 and is the most extensive work on the life and times of this 1830's fur trading post.


Last week, our first Book Burst Sessions, led by Jeanette Kemp, provided a tempting taster of a wide range of wonderful reading books.
Jeanette shared a selection of new book titles suitable for each year group.
We are fortunate that QAPAFA fund termly Book Burst Sessions for each class.
At The Queen Anne, we aim to inspire pupils and engage them in reading widely.
We value and support reading for pleasure through:
- adults reading aloud daily in class
- inviting book areas in each classroom.
- providing time to read in class and develop a sociable reading environment where children enjoy reading together and sharing books
- planning opportunities for the children to engage in a range of genres each year.
- providing a range of cross-curricular books
- regular use of the school library
- engaging and exciting termly Book Burst sessions.
Through provision of a wide and varied reading diet, we foster a love of familiar books and a keen appetite for new titles.


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I love to read and with my discovery of audiobooks at the end of 2016, I’ve been able to read (or listen) to way more books than I was able to in the past. I tend to do audiobooks since I can listen while I get ready, cook, clean, commute to work, and work out. When I’m really into a book, it makes some of these tasks I don’t like (ahem, cleaning) go by way faster.
Regardless if you prefer to read or listen, these are 12 books I’ve read in 2017 that have changed my life.
(affiliate links below)
1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (link)
The Kite Runner is first novel written by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini and is a beautifully written story about these two young boys, Amir and Hassan, their relationship, and the rise of the Taliban. It paints a graphic depiction of modern day Afghanistan. There is one event that changes the lives of the two main characters drastically and the effect that event has on their lives and relationships just caused so many feelings
2. The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance–What Women Should Know by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman (Link)
This book was recommended to me by a woman I know and respect in the real estate development industry. My self-confidence took a hit after being let go from my first job out of graduate school due to company restructuring, and I was struggling to get my mojo back even after I had found a new job. Not only does The Confidence Code discuss why men tend to be more confident than women, but it also investigates if confidence is something individuals are born with thanks to genetics, or something that can be developed (ultimately, it is a bit of both). This is a must read for anyone. It truly changed the way I looked at difficult situations, assessed my own confidence level, and interpreted criticism from superiors at work. It also talks a little about how parents can help build confidence in young girls and would be a good read for parents as well.
3. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt (Link)
To me, this book is all about cause and effect–if I do this, what will be the effect? Freakonomics essentially applies economic theories to various subjects. My favorite topics were the economics of drug dealing and the effect of legalized abortion on crime (the latter being an interesting view that often isn’t discussed).
4. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (Link)
This is such a beautiful collection of poems! There are four themes: 1) the hurting; 2) the loving; 3) the breaking; and 4) the healing. I think most women can relate to some, if not all, of the themes. Kaur does discuss sexual violence, which can be hard to read, but she balances that with writings about healing and love (self-love and love for others).
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Link)
Another book by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner! While The Kite Runner is more about male relationships, A Thousand Splendid Suns is about female relationships and details how women’s lives changed with the rise of the Taliban. This is another book I found myself tearing up multiple times throughout the story.
6. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton (Link)
This book was recommended to me by my former boss I worked with at the law firm. Negotiating is something that argurably everyone does, and this book details principles behind the method of principle negotiation and gives examples of how the principles can be applied in real world situations. Since I’ve read this book, I’ve found myself applying these principles in conversations with others and have found it has improved my communication. Win!
7. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges By Amy Cuddy (Link)
Amy Cuddy is the psychologist who did this TED Talk about power posing and faking it until you make it. This book goes more into detail about how to increase presence and how our body language influences our mind. I’ve used the techniques Cuddy describes in this book many times before interviews and important meetings and it has helped me feel more confident.
8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Link)
This book is such a mind twist! It is narrated by Offred, who is a young woman that has had her life ripped from under her as the Republic of Gilead took over the United States of America. Her worth has been reduced to her fertility and she doesn’t have any rights and has been separated from her husband and daughter. It’s alarming to read about how a small group of people were able to overthrow the government and take control. Also, this is a great TV show and I highly recommend that as well!
9. The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy by Charles Fishman (Link)
This is such an interesting read about how Wal-Mart has transformed the economy and how their need for low prices has effected essentially everyone, regardless if you shop or work at the store.
10. The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay (Link)
This year was actually my second read of The Defining Decade. The first time I read it was the summer after I finished my undergrad degree. It is such a good read for any twenty-something that feels confused, lost, stuck, or not sure what to do to move forward. The biggest take away for me is that the person to have a bigger impact on your career development will likely be a stranger rather than a close friend because they have different experiences and social networks. This author has also done a TED talk about the subject!
11. The Constitution of the United States of America by the Founding Fathers (Link)
Am I the only one that didn’t read the Constitution anytime in school? With so much discussion this year about what are our rights as American citizens and working in a law firm, I kept wondering, “Well, what does the Constitution say?”. I read this over Fourth of July weekend–which felt like a very appropriate time to read the Constitution!
12. How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie and Associates (Link)
This is an updated version of the incredibly amazing book How to Win Friends and Influence People, which was originally published over 75 years ago by Dale Carnegie. As communication in the digital age has shifted from face-to-face interactions to less-personal interactions over email, phone, or social media this book discusses how you can connect with those you’re communicating with and make lasting impressions.
While these are not all the books I’ve read this past year, these are the ones that I’ve recommended to family and friends and that have made a lasting impression on me in one way or another!
What are some of your favorite books you read this year?
P.S. This blog post contains amazon affiliate links which means that I earn a commission if you make purchases through the links above. This is at no extra cost or work for you. I only recommend products I use and truly enjoy. Thank you for supporting India from Indiana!


An Introduction to Pippi Longstocking and Her Theme Song
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character created by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is a strong, independent, and carefree girl who lives in a house with her monkey and horse. She has a unique sense of humor, a knack for getting into trouble, and a wild imagination. The Pippi Longstocking theme song is a catchy tune that introduces the character and sets the tone for her adventures. In this article, we will delve into the lyrics of this iconic song and explore its various versions and translations.
The Original Swedish Version: "Här Kommer Pippi Långstrump"
The original Swedish version of the Pippi Longstocking theme song is titled "Här Kommer Pippi Långstrump." This version was written by Astrid Lindgren herself, with music composed by Georg Riedel. The song was first introduced in the 1969 Swedish TV series, which starred Inger Nilsson as Pippi. The lyrics are simple and fun, perfectly capturing the spirit of Pippi Longstocking. They describe Pippi's strength, unique appearance, and her penchant for adventure. The catchy tune has become a classic in Swedish culture and is still popular among children today.
English Translation: "Here Comes Pippi Longstocking"
The English version of the Pippi Longstocking theme song, titled "Here Comes Pippi Longstocking," was translated by Jan Johansson. This translation remains true to the original Swedish lyrics, retaining the same playful and adventurous spirit. The English version of the song describes Pippi as the "strongest girl in the world" and emphasizes her unique qualities, such as her red hair and freckles. The catchy tune has become a favorite among English-speaking fans of Pippi Longstocking, and it continues to be a beloved part of the character's legacy.
German Translation: "Hey, Pippi Langstrumpf"
In Germany, the Pippi Longstocking theme song is known as "Hey, Pippi Langstrumpf." The German version of the song was translated by Wolfgang Franke, and it retains the same upbeat melody as the original Swedish version. The lyrics of the German version highlight Pippi's adventurous spirit and her ability to bring joy and excitement to those around her. As with the other translations, "Hey, Pippi Langstrumpf" has become a classic children's song in Germany, and it is still widely recognized today.
Other Language Translations
As Pippi Longstocking gained popularity around the world, the theme song was translated into numerous languages, including Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and many others. Each translation maintains the spirit and playfulness of the original Swedish version, while adapting the lyrics to fit the language and culture of the respective country. This widespread adaptation of the theme song is a testament to the universal appeal of Pippi Longstocking and her adventures.
Sing-Along and Karaoke Versions
Given the popularity of the Pippi Longstocking theme song, it is no surprise that sing-along and karaoke versions of the song are widely available. These renditions allow fans of Pippi Longstocking to join in on the fun and sing the lyrics themselves, regardless of their language or musical ability. Singing along to the Pippi Longstocking theme song is a great way to share the joy and excitement of the character with friends and family.
Notable Covers and Remixes
Over the years, the Pippi Longstocking theme song has been covered and remixed by a variety of artists in various styles. Some notable covers include a punk rock version by the Swedish band Millencolin and a techno remix by the German group Scooter. These unique takes on the classic song showcase the timeless appeal of Pippi Longstocking and her theme song, as well as the ability of the tune to adapt to different musical genres.
The Lasting Impact of the Pippi Longstocking Theme Song
The Pippi Longstocking theme song has become an iconic part of the character's legacy, and it continues to be a favorite among fans of all ages. The catchy tune and playful lyrics perfectly encapsulate the spirit of Pippi Longstocking, and the song's various translations and adaptations have helped to spread her adventures around the world. Whether you're a longtime fan of Pippi Longstocking or just discovering her for the first time, the theme song is sure to bring a smile to your face and a sense of adventure to your heart.


Currently reading: Thinking In Systems by Donella Meadows. This has been on my list for ages; time to get into it. 📚
Finished reading: Honeybee by Craig Silvey. An incredible coming-of-age story of a boy with all the odds stacked against him. Wonderful to read a book set in my home town, too. 📚
Finished reading: So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport 📚. A more realistic approach to finding enjoyment from a working life. I still feel stuck in my career, though.
Finished reading: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. 📚 Some good ideas that fortunately I’ve already implemented but the book has encouraged me to take it further.
Finished reading: The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 📚 An interesting book that draws heavily on Thinking, Fast and Slow: Kahneman, Daniel which I also recommend you read. We humans need to apply back-stories to stochastic events in an effort to make sense of the world. This makes events logical and explicable to our mind. Yet if they were so logical, why would we have not predicted them?
Currently reading: Beartown: A Novel by Backman, Fredrik 📚
Currently reading: Just Money by Royce Kurmelovs 📚
Currently reading: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout 📚
Want to read: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout 📚
Currently reading: Chosen People by Robert Whitlow 📚
I was at the library with my kid today, and serendipitously saw The Organized Mind on the shelf, so picked it up. I wonder if it will be any good? 📚


We’re all going to die. We all create digital content and most of us have no plan for archiving our data for future generations after we die. These are two harsh realities that smacked me over the head when I attended a panel at SXSW this year titled “Digital Immortals: Preserving Life Beyond Death“. The panel covered one of the most critical aspects that face us today in this newly minted digital world. The panel was moderated by Evan Carroll who both co-wrote a book and contributes to a website on the subject of the digital afterlife. You can listen to a recording of the panel here, follow along with the slides here, and read a summary of the panel by Evan here.
UPDATE: I have created a dedicated Digital Legacy section that I will maintain with updates over time as new tools and strategy tips as they become available.
I highly recommend you follow the links above to experience the diverse speakers covering several different topic areas related to this subject. This is a very important subject matter with many different layers to it. I remember leaving the room inspired to identify some of the themes that resonated during the talk for me and write about them. Many of the issues discussed have been on my mind ever since creating Lifestream Blog. While I originally covered the ability to aggregate our digital data across disparate services I quickly realized that much of what I was publishing may never be archived in a way so that my future ancestors could be able to view it. I’ve already written several posts on the topic of how death and the future may impact our digital diaries and most recently referenced Adam Ostrow’s TED talk who was on the panel in a post.
After the panel I started to think about the steps we need to take to preserve, prepare, and produce our digital legacy. I began to break down each of these 3 steps to try and provide methods and tools to achieve them before we die. Each of these steps are very broad and can have many different approaches and strategies to deploy them. Below I will break each of these down and provide some insight on how to tackle setting up plans for each of them.
Preserve Your Data
Before you can make plans regarding how future generations will be able to access your data, you need to ensure that you’re taking steps to preserve it. The tips here are to employ an archive and backup strategy. This includes both making sure that your personal physical storage data is backed up as well as the data you are creating and publishing to online services. For personal data on your hard drives you can find many good tips and articles online to help you do this. I recommend creating a 2 step backup plan. Create backups daily from your personal computer (multiple in your family if you have them) to an external storage device. I’d recommend using a RAID NAS (network attached storage) so that you can easily have multiple computers running backup software to save their data to this central location.
There are many people that employ the local backup strategy but then stop there. This isn’t good enough because in the event of a fire or burglary you risk losing everything. So besides simply doing local backups, you must also add a cloud backup strategy. These services will let you automate the process of backing up your data over the internet daily to remote servers. By taking this extra step you’ve ensured an important and extra critical measure to preserve your data.
Backing up your local data is a measure taken for all the content you create that is stored there. So documents, photos, videos and more. You should try to identify and backup as much personally created data as you can. Richard Banks who was on the panel that our sentimental objects aren’t necessarily secondary to our mundane ones, which will help others understand our lives from the day-to-day minutiae we now can preserve.
But what about content you create on the web? I”m referring to services that include Facebook, Twitter, Google Docs and more. In this case you need a way to get that source data into a format that can then be brought down and archived along with all of your local data. There are some unique services that do just this that need to be included as part of your backup strategy.
Some resource examples for this step:
- Local Backup Strategies and Software articles
- How to backup your computer – Lifehacker
- What’s your backup plan – The 99 Percent
- Set up an automated bulletproof file backup solution – Lifehacker
- Cloud Backup Services
- Web Content Backup Services
Prepare a Data Access Plan
Airdrie Miller, who is the widow of blogger Derek Miller who wrote a gut wrenching farewell post before he died, discussed many of the challenges she encountered after Derek died on the panel. She told of not being able to access systems because she didn’t have Derek’s passwords and told of another situation having to deal with renewing a domain she wasn’t aware of. I’ve heard of the process of preparing all of this information for later access as creating a “digital will”.
Start by creating a detailed document with instructions on how to access all the digital data that you’ve been so good about preserving. Then I highly recommend creating a master password repository both for personal data and online data. Some of those passwords may also be linked to online accounts that are tied to subscriptions services such as blogs and domain registrars that will also require renewals and upkeep. There are a few online services that provide this as well as software. It would also be smart to have a designated digital trustee which would almost act as a data godparent to provide technical support in the event it was necessary. Accessing your data backups and working through services may be challenging for some family members so training and designating a technically savvy friend to help out in the event they’re needed will be helpful.
Some resource examples for this step:
- Detailed instructions document and digital trustee
- Provide information for password services / software with the master password to access
- Designate and train a digital trustee on accessing your data and passwords to help out
- Provide information for all on-going subscriptions to services related to digital data
- Password Services and Software
Produce a Way to Access the Digital Archive
So now that you have ensured the preservation of all your data you need to create a good way to access all of it. This step can take on many different forms and will no doubt evolve over time into better methods we can only dream of. You should start by determining both the tools that lend themselves best to displaying the data in a way that you want, along with some good tagging and search capabilities. You also need to decide whether you only want the data to be displayed on a local computer or over the web as well. You may not find just one piece of software or web service to provide a method that suits you, and may need to incorporate several to achieve what you want.
Bill Lefurgy from the Library of Congress was also a speaker on the panel. He discussed many aspects related to “digital preservation” telling us they’ve built a website at DigitalPreservation.gov where you can find many resources on organizing your digital data. I dug around a bit and found several useful things including a whole section on personal archiving as well as a PDF with details for archiving and organizing several different types of digital media.
Some resource examples for this step:
If you question why we need to create a digital legacy I ask you to watch this great video created by the LiveOn service and also remember our lives aren’t just to chronicle what we do for ourselves, but it’s to provide a record for our future generations. I plan to create a dedicated “Digital Legacy” section on this site in the near future that I will maintain with updates over time as new software, services, and strategies become available for this process.
Update: Here’s another good video I discovered on this subject at another good site resource at DeathandDigitalLegacy.com


Story/ Explanation of chapter: The Little Girl is presented below. Story along with words meaning, worksheets and NCERT Solutions for Class 9.
“The Little Girl” is written by Katherine Mansfield. It is a story of a sweet little girl, Kezia. This story is about a little girl who afraid of her father because of his strictness but later she came to know about her father’s soft and caring heart. Probably, it happens in almost every house.
Kezia used to afraid of her father. Her father always meets her before going to work. But she felt relaxed after hearing low sound of carriage of her father.
When her father come back to home he shouted on everyone for his tea, Newspaper and for slippers. Her mother told her to take off his father’s boot. She was not comfortable to talk with father only because she had to speak words with efforts. His father told her if she will speak uncomfortably, her mother take to her to the doctor.
Kezia thought that her father is like a giant. One Sunday at afternoon her grandmother sent her to talk with parents but mother was reading and father was laying on the sofa. She sat on stool and watched him.
One day her granny told her to make a pin cushion with yellow silk piece as a gift for her father’s birthday. The little girl stitched the cloth but did not find anything to fill. Her granny was out in the garden. She went to her parent’s room and found some paper sheets on the table. She tore all sheets and stuff in pin cushion. His father shouted on everyone when he did not find papers which were his speech for Port Authority. After knowing the truth, her father punished her. He beat her with a ruler. Her grandmother took Kezia in her lap.
One day she saw her neighbor Mr. Macdonald playing with his five children. Mao on his shoulder and others were hanging on to his coat pockets. She thought that he is different sort of father.
One day her mother fell ill. Her mother and grandmother went to hospital. She was alone at home with Alice, the cook in daytime. Alice was putting her to bed. Same night she saw a dream that a butcher is coming towards her with knife. She was afraid of and screamed. Her father reached to her immediately. He brought her in his bedroom. He lay down beside her. She came close to under her father’s arm and held her father’s shirt tightly.
She thought that father is little harder than grandmother. But she liked his hardness. She understood that her father can not be Mr. Macdonald because her father went to work and get tired.


Spectacularly illustrated and spanning from the first “Grand Prix d’Endurance de 24 Heures” in 1923 through 1979, Twice Around the Clock – The Yanks at Le Mans is told primarily from the point of view of America’s motorsports heroes, as much as possible in their own voices, from interviews conducted over 26 years. These personal stories are framed by a narrative to set the stage, year by year. Because it would be impossible to tell every participant’s story in detail, the depth of attention given is determined as much by entertainment value as historical importance.
There are many books about Le Mans, good books, but they rightly concentrate on the races and results. Twice Around the Clock – The Yanks at Le Mans complements these accounts and adds to the body of history with untold personal stories of American drivers, team owners, mechanics and witnesses – like the American soldiers stationed in Europe who often ended up helping the teams. These volumes are about their experiences at Le Mans, on and off the track. And, oh, the stories!
Frank, sometimes blunt, personal accounts make history human – and these volumes unique. Each is close to 120,000 words in length with 300-400 black and white and color images from around the world – many never seen before.
While the narrative stresses the personal, there are many new details for aficionados; and for historians and academics, comprehensive appendices with complete statistical records for every American driver, car and engine ever to compete at la Sarthe, as well as citations for every quote.


Visit the Confluence Plugin Repository in your Confluence installation and search for „Search and replace“ in the plugin manager. If you have installed a compatible version of confluence, the plugin should appear in the result list. Follow the steps on the screen to install the plugin.
After a successful installation a menu entry „Search and replace“ appears in the left section of your admin page. When you follow the link, the following page will appear:
Searching & replacing plain text:
Go to the first tap „Search and Replace“. Now select the scope you want the string to be replaced in. It is recommended to test your replacements on a single page first before you apply it to a bigger scope.
The next step is to enter the string you want to search for. Be aware that the search and replace is applied to the plain storage format. So the search results may be different from what you get when you search Confluence via the normal search. In addition to this, be aware that some characters are encoded. So, for example, the umlaut ‚ü‘ is encoded as ‚ü‘. You have to match your search queries and replace texts to these characters.
With a click on ‚Occurrences‘, a search for the selected parameters is started. The result is shown in the lower section of the page.
Note: Search processes can take some time or even time out your connection depending on the number of pages in the scope. The plugin was tested up to several hundred pages and performed quite well (Search in „Demonstration Space“, 40 pages, <1s).
Searching & replacing macro parameters:
This lets your search for specific macros and their parameters in different scopes. Make sure to test your replaces on a single page first.
The functionality is best explained by a common example:
Imagine the „content by label“ macro is used in several pages of a space with the same labels as search query. Now you want to add a label to these existing macros.
First you select the „Search and Replace Macro“ tab.
Second, select the scope „space“. Now enter the space you want the replacements to happen via the auto completer. Then type „contentbylabel“ into the „Macro name“ field. You can already perform a search which lists you the occurrences of the macro.
Next, enter the parameter name, in our case „labels“. If you are not sure about the parameters, look at the documentation of the macro, the search results of this plugin or the storage format of the page containing it.
If you want to replace only parameters where the old value matches a specific value, you can specify the „old value“ parameter. In our case, we would put the old labels in this field.
Notice that replacing typed parameters such as pages and spaces are not yet supported.
Next run a search again by pressing „Occurrences“ to make sure the right macros are selected. Enter the new labels in the „New Value“ field separated by commas or spaces and press „Replace all“.
You can validate the successful replace by running a search again or taking a look at the modified pages.
This lets you delete a macro in a scope selected by you. In addition you can specify a text which should be inserted instead of the macro. An example would be if you are using a macro in several locations of your space and it is not supported any more.
First enter the Macro name and the scope you want the replacement to happen in. Next, specify the text you want to appear instead of the macro. You can leave this empty if you want. Again, take care of encoding the special characters.
‚Occurrences‘ again lists the macros that are going to be replaced.
You can also replace a macro by an other macro. You just have to insert the new macro with all it’s parameters in storage format as replacement text. To get the storage format of a macro, look at it’s documentation or insert it into a page and click at ‚vie storage format‘ in the page actions.


If you ever wanted to own an original (collectible) painting, an actual panel from a published picture book, now is your chance! Up for bid is an autographed book and one of my paintings from The Daddy Longlegs Blues. The fundraiser supports our local pre-professional ballet company here in Ogden UT.
If you are the winning bidder, and you mention you saw this on my blog, I will personally add three more copies of the book for you to donate to your favorite local school, library or charity.
Spread the word, spread the love, thanks!
Bidding has now closed. Congratulations to everyone on a successful auction, and my heartfelt thanks to the patrons who purchased my piece!


Playing Soldier weaves together the stories of people for whom “history is a personal thing” and war is an obsession. Their stories speak to the heart of what it is to be human and the need to find meaning in the worst of human experience. The subtly absurdist documentary film follows the exploits and foibles of six WWII reenactors, weaving together dissonant themes that point towards a collective search for meaning. It is an intimate look into a small, yet significant, American sub-culture that tens of thousands of Americans participate in each year. It portrays personal dramas that are echoed in national conversations on subjects like "the importance of collective truth". Focussing mostly on the internal struggles of each character, the movie does not paint the characters as villains or heroes but rather as human beings with varying degrees of flaws. Some flaws are inconsequential, some are large & glaring.
Playing Soldier 1080P widescreen
If you were the star of your own film, with history as your script, who would you play? What character would you be? PLAYING SOLDIER follows the intersecting lives of World War II reenactors who claim that “history is a personal thing”. PLAYING SOLDIER follows the intersecting stories of six reenactors who come from very different backgrounds and with conflicting motivations. It also shows how, through reenacting, the stories that people tell are as much or more about themselves as they are about history.
Directed by Ed Gendron Music by David Franusich


Highlights and News of the Auditor's Office
An audit of PDC's records management systems|
An audit of the PSSRP program costs, schedule and governance
An audit to assess the current-day relevancy of the City's Urban Services Policy and Multnomah County's Resolution A
The Auditor's Office of the Ombudsman has released its annual report for the calendar year 2012
An audit of street pavement condition
The 2012 results of the annual Community Survey of Portland residents
The Timeline is a chronicle of events and actions in the history of city government and the Portland community.
Records retention schedules describe records of an agency, organization, or administrative unit, establishing a timetable for their life cycle, and providing authorization for their disposition.
Explanations & Examples for Elected Officials, City Employees, Appointees to Boards and Commissions, and City Volunteers


The first of two Foundations in Biblical Study offerings, this ten-week course will focus on questions of Biblical Introduction. It is designed to familiarize God’s people with the Bible generally, preparing us to read, study, pray, live, and proclaim the Sacred Scriptures. Clergy and Christian faithful (consecrated religious, teachers, Bible study leaders, missionaries, dads and moms, the curious and inquisitive)–all are welcome.
Each of the five parts to this course will answer an introductory question about the Bible. Part One engages the question: Is the Bible a Protestant book, or can Catholics really be Bible Christians? It debunks some popular myths in this regard and makes an urgent appeal both to Catholics and non-Catholics to renew their love for and familiarity with Sacred Scripture. Part Two addresses the question: What is the Bible?, and provides a threefold definition that will help us think about the Bible in such a way that we receive it on the right wavelength. Here we also clarify the relationship between Scripture and Tradition in the Church’s teaching, and why that relationship is important for our task of reading and studying the Bible. Part Three tackles the fascinating and important question: How did we get the Bible? It traces the history and formation of Sacred Scripture, from the invention of writing and why God chose it, to the availability of the Bible for purchase at bookstores everywhere. Included here is a discussion on why Catholic Bibles are larger than Protestant ones (or Protestant Bibles smaller than Catholic ones), and on how and why Bible versions vary and which ones are to be preferred. Part Four asks the question: What does the Bible say, and why does it matter? It offers an answer in the form of an overview of the grand biblical “theo-drama” in a way that is conveniently memorable, and reflects on what it means to “inhabit” the sacred story in such a way that we discover its transforming relevance in our lives. Finally, Part Five addresses the question of reliability: Why should we believe the Bible? And what about all those parts that are hard to square with modern-day conceptions and objections about reality and morality? Here we will consider the reasonableness of supernatural revelation and the five pillars of believability.
This course should be viewed, ideally, as prerequisite to Part II in the fall, which will focus on Biblical Interpretation. That course will move further along a path from theory to practice, from guiding principles to their application in the actual task of discerning the meaning and message of biblical texts.
- Sacred Scripture, the Bible (preferably RSVCE 2nd edition)
- Instructor’s notes (provided and included in the registration cost)
Classroom Location & Directions


The Professionals' guide to drawdown from Defaqto, is CPD accredited, and forms an independent guide to advising on drawing income from pension savings. The guide also updates on the changes that have occurred and their impact since the last issue in 2015.
Now, a full year in to the pension freedoms, this annual guide aims to cover all of the key information advisers and para-planners need to know, including:
- Recent legislation changes and what to expect in 2017
- The personal tax allowances to consider - including the new dividend tax allowance
- The risks to consider with clients including the critically important ones relating to longevity and inflation
- Ways to evidence income suitability and sustainability
- Ways to assess and evidence an appropriate investment strategy
- Explanation on how pension savings can be used to benefit future generations
The study also provides a useful introduction and review of the solutions and services available to advisers and para-planners.
Download Professionals' guide to drawdown


The Sketchbook Project is a worldwide art project run by Art House Co-op which encourages contributors to produce handmade artist books. You sign up and pick a theme, they send you a book, you fill it and send it back, it tours the world, then it goes into the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library in New York City.
If you’re in London before next Friday (19th Oct), make your way to Canada Water Library and you can check out the 2012 sketchbooks from contributors all over Europe (including our two, a couple of pages of which are pictured above). If you’re interested in creating one of your own, you have until the end of the month to sign up for the 2013 Project, and then until the end of January to fill it and send it back. Happy Sketchbooking!


E.B. White was an American writer and contributor to The New Yorker and a co-author of the famous English language style guide, The Elements of Style. Later in life, he turned his talents to writing children’s books including Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. He won the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, The Newberry Award, and the National Medal for Literature.
A quiet, unassuming man who disliked the public eye, his co-author James Thurber said of White:
“Most of us, out of a politeness made up of faint curiosity and profound resignation, go out to meet the smiling stranger with a gesture of surrender and a fixed grin, but White has always taken to the fire escape. He has avoided the Man in the Reception Room as he has avoided the interviewer, the photographer, the microphone, the rostrum, the literary tea, and the Stork Club. His life is his own. He is the only writer of prominence I know of who could walk through the Algonquin lobby or between the tables at Jack and Charlie’s and be recognized only by his friends.”— James Thurber, E. B. W., “Credos and Curios”
In honor of White’s humor and quiet wisdom, here are ten choice quotes:


Worle History Society has gathered some interesting and useful archive material.
There is never time at Open Meetings for members to make use of the resources, hence the decision to add this new page to the site with
details of what is available.
Members, please make use of our collection. All you need to do is ring Raye on 516773 and arrange a time to come along for a couple of hours.
Planned Research Days are listed on our Research Page.
We now have about 50 books in our Research Library and a plethora of files. The list below needs to be updated, but see the new list of
research library books further down this page.
Please note that we can only offer Research Sessions to current members, and the material is all relevant to the village of Worle and its immediate environs. Non members are welcome to contact us with enquiries and we shall do our best to help.
List of Research Material available to members
These are in the process of being transcribed.
1. Village club: Minutes 1898 to 1906
2. Village club: Subscriptions 1898 to 1904
3. Village club: Accounts 1898 to 1904
4. Village club: Accounts 1905 to 1946
5. Village club: Minutes & Accounts 1930 to 1960
6. Village club: Minutes 1919 to 1930
7. Village club: Minutes 1930 to 1954
8. Village club: Accounts 1947 to 2001
9. Cricket club: Minutes [general] 1928 to 1956
10. Cricket club: Minutes [committee] 1928 to 56
11. Football club: Minutes [committee] 1958 to 1985
12. Football club: Minutes [general] 1952 to 1958
13. Horticultural: Minutes 1971 to 1988
14. Horticultural: Minutes 1986 to 1988
15. Brownie Pack: Register 1952 to 1955
16. Village Club Committee meetings 1906 to 1920
The Society's laptop, on which a great deal of material is stored. We have a range of CDs on a variety of topics, which can be used.
The Society's publications, including books, booklets and pamphlets. See PUBLICATIONS on the topbar for full details.
Maps: Ordnance Survey map revised in 1836 [A1 size]
Tithe map of the Parish of Worle A0 size and in full colour,produced by Peter Johnson for the Society
Family Trees: These are laminated A3 sheets of prominent local families,including
Bartlett, Bishop, Broadbere, Capell, Day/Parsley, Fry, Gould,Lawrence, Lovell, Tripp. Most supplied by
Topic Files as follows:
Edwardian Worle: a new file under construction. 1901 and 1902 are just about complete and are fascination. full of cuttings from the old Gazette and the Mercury and other support material.
50 Vicars of Worle: File contains at least one sheet for each vicar since 1325 and many pages for others. An endless task with several members working on their 'adopted' vicars.'
Worle's Carnival traditions: File traces the Whit Monday carnivals from the British Legion efforts in 1950-1952 through to 1958, throught the dark ages of no carnivals to its brief reinstatment in the early 80s. Pictures, cuttings and comments.
Worle's Rhynes and Waterways: a 400 year history compiled and donated by Barrie Underwood. Contains excellent maps and pictures as well as a very informative commentary. New!!!
Census: Transcripts for 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 all
in separate files
Street Directory: Kelly's Directory for 1956, arranged in alphabetical
order of Worle's streets.
Worle's Listed Buildings: Details supplied by English Heritage website,
and enhanced with use of photographs and background research. Ongoing.
Worle's Windmill: Now known as 'The Observatory' This file contains the history of the windmill back to 1705 and up to the present day, with
details of ownership and references to the original documents, which we have photographed for our records.
Churchyard research: We have 10 files containing the names, dates, inscriptions and a description of the condition of the graves and memorials together with photographs of each grave in St. Martin's Churchyard. The associated database has 1467 records to date.
There are also two reports based on research into 2 early photographs. Graves were identified, dated and named. Results written up for archive. Ongoing research. Also Brian Patch's research on part of the top churchyard.
Village Walks: File contains powerpoint handout sheets provided to walkers in the 2010 season of summer walks, with notes. Separate file from Dave Hart covering the route and points of interest visited on the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Summer Walks
People of Worle: A file in alphabetical order of everyone and anyone who has lived in Worle and contributed to village life. This is embryonic and
constantly being built upon. It will probably metamorphosise into an index filing system, cross referenced to the family trees.
1953 Files: There is a general file including minutes of Borough Council meetings referring to the village, minutes of Worle Cricket Club and WOB
programmes. Quarterly files contain cuttings and articles from the Mercury in date order, all referring to the village. Also a day-to-day journal.
World War 2 Files: Now complete: we have 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. Material is arranged in date order, mainly taken from the Gazette and the Mercury, but with other relevent additions, like minutes of local organisations and personal notes. These files contain much more detail than the Journal listed under PUBLICATIONS
Schools: Copies of photographs used for the Open Meeting display, together with notes and general information covering schooling from 1865 to present.
Most information concentrates on Worle Infants School, Worle Junior School and Worle Senior School. Head Teachers' logs and admission registers for Worle Infants' now available in digital form. The Comprehensive schools and newer primary schools are also mentioned.
Worle Senior School photo collections of class groups, sports teams other pictures from 1948 to 1962. Stored in 2 files, with a database. Many of the pupils and staff are named.
Worle Cricket Club: Includes pictures from 1901 to 1950s and selected extracts from their Minutes Books [given by Johnnie Tucker]. Originals available by special arrangement.
Worle Old Boys Football Club: Includes copies of programmes [loaned by Eric Maggs] covering mainly the 1950s, with pictures. Some newspaper
Bell Ringing: St. Martin's ringers with information dating back 5 centuries and details from early 20th century minutes.
Fussell's Rubber Co. Ltd. This contains the source material on which the booklet is based, mostly contributed by the family of the founders, and some taken from local newspapers.
Worle Home Guard: Research note books used in the process of writing the book.
Weddings File: Pictures and comments featuring Weddings which took place in Worle, or had a close Worle connection. Collected by Nadine Kilvington.
Methodist Chapel, now Worle Community Centre: File providing the history of the chapel back to 1835, together with architects plans of the extensions begun in 1965.
Research Library: See Open Day dates on new Library Page or Ring Raye on 516773


The IOE's Centre for Holocaust Education is part of a broad community of organisations interested in improving Holocaust education in England and internationally, in different ways. Part of our vision is to play our part within this broader community, to fill existing gaps, and to work in ways that complement the activities of our colleagues.
In this section, we give links to institutions that together can provide you with extensive information and further support for developing Holocaust education in your classroom and school.
Organisations working in Holocaust education in England
Other important organisations in England
Historical Association with over 6000 members the HA is the major national organisation representing the case for an historical education to policy makers and ministers.
Schools History Project helps teachers to make history meaningful for young people.
Wiener Library contemporary history library and archive in London focusing on the Holocaust, its causes, legacies and contemporary Jewish history.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance)
The government-led delegations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance member states meet twice yearly to discuss and move forward on important issues relating to the field. The website contains material relating to education, memorial sites, and the marking of Holocaust Memorial Day as well as details of Holocaust education in member states.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum provides an extensive online archive of materials, online exhibitions as well other important teaching and learning material.
University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Institute has recorded over 51,000 testimonies around the globe, parts of which are available on the USC SFI website, alongside lesson plans and access to the testimony catalogue.
Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem provides an extensive online archive including a vast database of names of those who perished, online exhibitions and a separate education website.


How do I select specialized law categories for my journal?
To help authors browse law reviews more easily, there is a filter for the law review submission pool. Authors browse all law reviews by default, but can also browse journals by specialized areas or only general law journals.
The journal admin user can select up to two (2) specialty areas for their law review by going to:
My Journals > Settings > Configuration Options.
General law journals
If your journal is looking for manuscripts from all fields of the law, make sure to select "General" as one of your two options. You do not have to select a second option unless you want to attract more submissions from a particular area of law.
To learn more about being an editor, check out our Editor Guide.


I’m noticing several trends in my reading habits over the years:
- I read more in-depth, follow and check references more often, and take better notes. Instead of focusing on volume, I focus on understanding.
- In addition to reading books, I read more scientific papers than before. Occasionally, I skip a lengthy and fluffy book altogether for a paper that served as a basis for the book.
- I’m re-reading books that are standing the test of time.
Here are my top recommendations from all the books I read in 2020.
Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different
Every time I encountered quantum mechanics, I could never wrap my head around it. After I found out there is a (somewhat) approachable book on the topic without any mathematical formulas by Philip Ball, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more. Mission accomplished–now I better understand why I don’t understand quantum mechanics. It’s a beautiful book that, in plain language, explains why the quantum world defies human intuition and why many call it weird. The book also goes through scientific progress in the field over the last hundred years and how some findings forced us to question our preconceptions of reality. On occasions, the book is almost like a thriller and full of surprises. Highly recommended if you like to read a section, close a book, and then think deeply about it.
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
I stumbled on Johnathan Haidt’s scientific work while reading Sapolsky’s Behave (last year’s recommendation) in the context of how political and moral differences between progressives and conservatives stem from different biological affinities. As I’m becoming more interested in the biological underpinnings of moral philosophy instead of relying on the rationalization of liberal or divine rights, I had to read Haidt’s work.
Evolutionary biologists have found adaptive challenges in all cultures and communities, like caring for vulnerable children or partnerships with non-kin to reap the benefits of reciprocity. The author has put the challenges into a framework of five moral foundations: care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. In turn, the foundations were tested in several studies to show that progressives care mostly about the first two while conservatives care about all of them equally strongly.
A good companion book is Moral Tribes by Joshua Green (which references The Righteous Mind and is also referenced in Behave). It explores the biology and workings of the brain when contemplating justice.
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain how democracy is not just about the right to cast a vote. Democracy is also about the attitude of people running democratic institutions and shared beliefs and practices that help make those institutions work. It’s easy to turn into or maintain authoritarian governments because they’re a stable equilibrium. Democratic governments are trickier because they’re an unstable equilibrium that can deteriorate at any moment. Only mutual toleration, forbearance, and unwritten rules of behaving beyond the bounds of law keep democracy alive.
Evolving Brains Emerging Gods: Early Humans and the Origins of Religion
E. Fuller Torrey puts forth a compelling theory that gods and religion are by-products of the evolution of a human brain, and not a historical whim of a group of people. As our brains developed over the last several hundreds of thousands of years, we became more capable and realized that our time as living beings is finite. The realization spurred thinking about the afterlife. The rest, as they say, is history. I found Evolving Brains Emerging Gods to be a good companion to The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. The former is more about anthropology and neuroscience, and the latter about sociology and philosophy.
How To Be an Antiracist
I’ve picked up a few books about racism, but couldn’t force myself to finish them. The books either explore a cultural subset that is too far away from a culture where I come from, or they start with the premise “if you’re born white, you’re guilty,” which is a non-starter for a healthy discussion.
Ibram X. Kendi’s book is different. It explores many types of racism: ethnic, bodily, cultural, and class racism, to name a few. That approach disentangles the discussion about racism from focusing on a particular biological feature of a victim to an oppressor’s mindset and behavior (and how not to be one). The author also shares his story of fighting racism and realizing that he unintentionally exhibited racist behaviors during his journey.
I reflected a lot while reading the book about hidden and normalized systemic racism in my culture that was not as obvious to me before.
I was thinking a lot about adequately describing this captivating and unusual short novel by Alan Lightman. At some point, I realized it’s best to use the publisher’s description and reinforce it by my earnest recommendation to read the book: “Einstein’s Dreams is a fictional collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, about time, relativity and physics. As the defiant but sensitive young genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new conception of time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time is circular, so that people are fated to repeat triumphs and failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited by lovers and parents clinging to their children. In another, time is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a bell jar.”
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy
I was delighted by Joan Magretta’s book for two reasons:
- the content is fantastic, and 2) clarity and conciseness are exemplary. The author manages to summarize decades worth of Micheal Porter’s work into a 200-page book with proper structure and no repetition. The book will be interesting only to those who want to learn about business strategy, but if you’re one of them and you’re just starting, this is the first book to pick up.
A reading combo experiment
I tried to adjust my reading order this year so that books that are somehow related get closer to each other. I hypothesized that I’d be able to look at the same topic from several angles and spend more uninterrupted time with an idea to allow me to make better connections. Here is such one combo:
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan summarizes the historical development of civilizations that inhabited the area between Turkey and India over the last few millennia and how events in that area have shaped the whole world.
- Radical by Maajid Nawaz is a story of the author’s journey into and out of Islamist extremism. The author now works as an advocate for peace and understanding, running a counter-extremism think tank.
- Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis is mostly about leadership and his US military career. However, the part that fits with the broader reading topic is his deployment to the Middle East over several decades. In the book, he reflects on clumsy, and sometimes damaging and long-lasting, political decisions the US has made in that part of the world.
- Whirlwind by James Clavell is the last novel of his Asian Saga (highly recommended). The novel is about a foreign helicopter transport company trying to find its place and future during the first month of the Iranian revolution of 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran and overturned Shah’s rule, turning Iran into an Islamic republic overseen by the Supreme Leader.
You can find lists of recommended books from all years on my reading and books page.


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