WHAT IS JUNETEENTH?
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough toinfluence and overcome the resistance.
Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these version could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.
Juneteenth Festivities and Food
A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement. Thus, often guest speakers are brought in and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations.
Certain foods became popular and subsequently synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations such as strawberry soda-pop. More traditional and just as popular was the barbecuing, through which Juneteenth participants could share in the spirit and aromas that their ancestors – the newly emancipated African Americans, would have experienced during their ceremonies. Hence, the barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations.
Food was abundant because everyone prepared a special dish. Meats such as lamb, pork and beef which not available everyday were brought on this special occasion. A true Juneteenth celebrations left visitors well satisfied and with enough conversation to last until the next.
Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs and is often still taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition’s roots. During slavery there were laws on the books in many areas that prohibited or limited the dressing of the enslaved. During the initial days of the emancipation celebrations, there are accounts of former slaves tossing their ragged garments into the creeks and rivers to adorn clothing taken from the plantations belonging to their former ‘masters’.
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas,
General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former ‘masters’ – attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory. The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
Juneteenth and Society
In the early years, little interest existed outside the African American community in participation in the celebrations. In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing,horseback riding and barbecues. Often the church grounds was the site for such activities. Eventually, as African Americans became land owners, land was donated and dedicated for these festivities. One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas. In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898. There are accounts of Juneteenth activities being interrupted and halted by white landowners demanding that their laborers return to work. However, it seems most allowed their workers the day off and some even made donations of food and money. For decades these annual celebrations flourished, growing continuously with each passing year. In Booker T. Washington Park, as many as20,000 African Americans once flowed through during the course of a week, making the celebration one of the state’s largest.
Juneteenth Celebrations Decline
Economic and cultural forces provided for a decline in Juneteenth activities and participants beginning in the early 1900’s. Classroom and textbook education in lieu of traditional home and family-taught practices stifled the interest of the youth due to less emphasis and detail on the activities of former slaves. Classroom text books proclaimed Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 as the date signaling the ending of slavery – and little or nothing on the impact of General Granger’s arrival on June 19th.
The Depression forced many people off the farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate this date. Thus, unless June 19th fell on a weekend or holiday, there were very few participants available. July 4th was the already established Independence holiday and a rise in patriotism steered more toward this celebration.
The Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960’s, whom wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C.. Rev. Ralph Abernathy’s call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent of such activity. In fact, two of the largest Juneteenth celebrations founded after this March are now held in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
Texas Blazes the Trail
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.
Juneteenth In Modern Times
Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. In recent years, a number of local and national Juneteenth organizations have arisen to take their place along side older organizations – all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.
The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us. This indeed, brightens our future – and that is the Spirit of Juneteenth.
From History of Juneteenth ©JUNETEENTH.com
Lady Liberty was inspired by the end of the Civil War and emancipation. The connection to immigration came later.
The new Statue of Liberty Museum in New York Harbor boasts a number of treasures: the original torch, which was replaced in the 1980s; an unoxidized (read: not green) copper replica of Lady Liberty’s face; and recordings of immigrants describing the sight of the 305-foot monument.
It also revives an aspect of the statue’s long-forgotten history: Lady Liberty was originally designed to celebrate the end of slavery, not the arrival of immigrants. Ellis Island, the inspection station through which millions of immigrants passed, didn’t open until six years after the statue was unveiled in 1886. The plaque with the famous Emma Lazarus poem — “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — wasn’t added until 1903.
“One of the first meanings [of the statue] had to do with abolition, but it’s a meaning that didn’t stick,” Edward Berenson, a history professor at New York University and author of the book “The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story,” said in an interview with The Washington Post.
The monument, which draws 4.5 million visitors a year, was first imagined by a man named Édouard de Laboulaye. In France, he was an expert on the U.S. Constitution and, at the close of the American Civil War, the president of a committee that raised and disbursed funds to newly freed slaves, according to Yasmin Sabina Khan, author of the book “Enlightening the World: The Creation of the Statue of Liberty.”
Laboulaye loved America — often giving speeches described by a New York Times correspondent in 1867 as “feasts of liberty which move the souls of men to their deepest depths” — and he loved it even more when slavery was abolished.
In June 1865, Laboulaye organized a meeting of French abolitionists at his summer home in Versailles, Berenson said.
“They talked about the idea of creating some kind of commemorative gift that would recognize the importance of the liberation of the slaves,” Berenson said.
Laboulaye secured the partnership of sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who took his sweet time developing an idea. An early model, circa 1870, shows Lady Liberty with her right arm in the position we are familiar with, raised and illuminating the world with a torch. But in her left hand she holds broken shackles, an homage to the end of slavery.
(A terra cotta model still survives at the Museum of the City of New York.)
One theory has her face being adapted from a statue Bartholdi had proposed for the Suez Canal, meaning her visage could resemble that of an Egyptian woman. The Times reported she was based on the Roman goddess Libertas, who typically wore the type of cap worn by freed Roman slaves.
In the final model, Lady Liberty holds a tablet inscribed with the Roman numerals for July 4, 1776. The broken chains are still there though, beneath her feet, “but they’re not all that visible,” Berenson said.
Bartholdi made a number of trips to the U.S. to whip up support for his colossal structure, according to the National Park Service. And sailing into New York Harbor, he spotted the perfect location for it: Bedloe’s Island, then occupied by the crumbling Fort Wood.
Fundraising in both France and the United States took a while, and according to the NPS, Bartholdi cast the project in the broadest terms possible to widen the net of potential donors. He also built the torch-bearing arm to tour around and inspire people to open up their wallets.
Bartholdi finished building the statue in Paris in 1884. Two years later, he oversaw its reconstruction in New York. “Liberty Enlightening the World” was “unveiled” on Oct. 28, 1886 — but that did not involve a very big sheet. Instead, there were fireworks, a military parade, and Bartholdi climbing to the top and pulling a French flag from his muse’s face.
By then, “the original meaning of the abolition of slavery had pretty much gotten lost,” Berenson said, going unmentioned in newspaper coverage.
In fact, black newspapers railed against it as meaningless and hypocritical. By 1886, Reconstruction had been crushed, the Supreme Court had rolled back civil rights protections, and Jim Crow laws were tightening their grip.
In his book, Berenson quotes an 1886 editorial in the black newspaper the Cleveland Gazette: “Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the ‘liberty’ of this country is such as to make it possible for an industrious and inoffensive colored man in the South to earn a respectable living for himself and family … The idea of the ‘liberty’ of this country ‘enlightening the world,’ or even Patagonia, is ridiculous in the extreme.”
W.E.B. Du Bois also mentioned this in his autobiography, recalling seeing the statue upon arriving back in the United States in 1894 after two years in Europe: “I know not what multitude of emotions surged in the others, but I had to recall [a] mischievous little French girl whose eyes twinkled as she said: ‘Oh, yes, the Statue of Liberty! With its back toward America, and its face toward France!’”
There were immigrants on board that ship with Du Bois, but he didn’t talk to any of them. The ship was segregated.


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• “The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor” premiers SUNDAY, Sept. 18, on PBS. Written, produced and directed by Arthur Dong - Check your local PBS Listings for show times.
• Hollywood Reporter Remembers Haing S. Ngor and His Oscar Win!
• On the red Carpet at the Cambodiatown Film Festival
• "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor"... New Feature Documentary by Arthur Dong Premieres to Enthusiastic Acclaim in San Francisco! Read all about it: https://www.facebook.com/HaingNgorDocumentary or check out the official trailer at: https://vimeo.com/130290876
• Det. John Garcia's Memoir of Dr. Ngor's Investigation
• "The Killing Fields" Premiered 30 Years Ago!
• For UN Intl Day of Peace, Sept. 21, Unity Foundation Filmed a Message from Jack & Haing S. Ngor Foundation
• Dr. Ngor's murder is revisited on Investigation Discovery's "• Final Cut" - 12/19/12
• On BlogOng -- “The Year of Living Dangerously,” Dr. Haing S. Ngor, and Another Cold, Foggy February 24th Evening…
• JUSTICE IN CAMBODIA: Follow the current courtroom activities of the Cambodia Tribunal
Recommended Reading! All the Missing Souls and Cambodia’s Hidden Scars: Trauma Psychology in the Wake of the Khmer Rouge
• A Children’s Book for the Ages…and All Ages!
• MURDER – Its Lasting Impact
• Dr. Ngor’s Murder… Was It a Khmer Rouge Assassination After All?
• “ Reflections: Cambodia”…new poems and photos by David Wenzel…in VOICES!
• VOICES: “ Between the Lines of the Pol Pot Regime” by Cory Campbell
• Cambodia: 32 Years After The Killing Fields - Press-Telegram Photos (Link to PT website)
• Cambodia: 32 Years After The Killing Fields - Press Coverage
• Cambodia: 32 Years After The Killing Fields - Oct 20th
• ' Road to Closure' Documentary
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Writings in the Field of American Lutheranism: 1998
Compiled by Dr. James W. Albers, Mr. John N. Dickmeyer and Rev. Robert E. Smith
This is the latest installment of the bibliography of items related to the history of Lutheranism in America. It covers items published in the calendar year 1998. (Note: Items from prior years that were missed in previous indexes have been added to those indexes in this online version.) Previous years bibliographies are also available online. See the list to the left for links.
As in previous years, we appeal to readers for help in compiling next years index. Although the tools of modern library research are excellent, they are not nor are they likely to become exhaustive. Please send us citations of your own work as well as those of your colleagues. We are especially interested in local, private and unindexed theses and dissertations. Send relevant citations to:
The Rev. Robert E. Smith
Not Available in the Concordia Theological Seminary Library at the Time of Indexing
Tappert, Theodore G., Was Ecclesia Plantanda Muhlenbergs Motto? Lutheran Quarterly 12 (1998) 2: 18184.
Dissertations, Theses, Degree Projects & Unpublished Academic Papers
Burk, Michael Lloyd. Difficult Belonging: An Ethnographic Look at How the Church Excludes. Ph.D. dissertation, U. of Iowa, 1998. 207 pp. (Christianity; Homosexuality; Membership; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; 1990s)
Nolt, Steven M. German Faith, American Faithful: Religion and Ethnicity in the Early American Republic. Ph.D. dissertation, U. of Notre Dame 1998. 310 pp. (Lutheran Church; Pennsylvania; Americanization; German, 1790-1840)
Videos and Other Media
Back to Bibliography Index


Articles from the White Lotus Clinic Practitioners
All articles are listed below and we have written quite a few over the years. The search option can help you find an article on a specific topic, but we have some broad categories to help you narrow it down. Just select the category you wish to browse from the drop-down menu and the page will load.
Clomid is one of the most commonly used pharmaceuticals in the treatment of fertility concerns
Uterine fibroids can be a very difficult condition to treat clinically. The treatment is often


DeKalb County Sewer Line Replacement - Asbury Circle Closed ---- from July 9, 2012 to August 19, 2012
DeKalb County is replacing a sagging sanitary line between the corner of Emory University Hospital to Woodruff Library, requiring the closure of Asbury Circle. The scope of the work requires a complete closure of Asbury Circle for both pedestrians and vehicles from Monday, July 9th
through Monday, August 20th
Attached is a map showing the alternative pedestrian paths. The accessible entrance on the south side of the Hospital will be through the EUH Annex. The handicap parking spaces along Asbury Circle, adjacent to EHU Annex will be temporarily removed. Existing parking behind Smith Hall will remain. No vehicles may enter the work zone site.


Thursday, 1 September 2016
The Hattersley Hub on Ashworth Lane was built as part of a deal that allowed Tesco to build a new supermarket at the end of the M67. It houses the library service, Hattersley Neighbourhood partnership, the police, the community association and Peak Valley Housing Association as well as numerous other community groups and replaces the old libraries in both Hattersley and Mottram - see Mottram library as it looked in 2009 on Hyde DP Vol.1 and the rear of it in 2012 on Hyde Xtra, a photograph taken a week after its closure and two days after the murder nearby of PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.
Roadside tributes to the policewomen had been laid near the murder scene - see Hyde Xtra and later a memorial was created outside Hyde Police Station - see Hyde DP Vol.2. Now a new memorial has been placed outside the Hattersley Hub. It was unveiled by David Cameron the day after he ceased being Prime Minister.
A contribution to the Library theme at City Daily Photo Blogs.
Saturday, 30 July 2016
Victoria Street War Memorial on the corner with Cartwright Street is surrounded by wrought iron railings. The inscription on the plinth reads:
ERECTED BY THE RESIDENTS
OF VICTORIA STREET AND
IN HONOUR OF THE MEN
WHO ANSWERED THEIR
A full list of the names inscribed can be found at Carl's Cam
The bronze statue of a soldier on the top is a replica, added in 2005, to replace the often vandalised original.
A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White.
Friday, 1 July 2016
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Although the Cotton Tree on the junction of Markham Street and Whitnall Street closed in 2012 and has been converted into apartments it has retained some of the signage.
The Cotton Tree was opened in 1830 by Joseph Cash. Cash was dragged from his horse and beaten to death on 21st August 1833 but no-one was convicted of his murder.
There are tales told of one man being hanged outside and of another being shot to death in the tap room.
Originally owned by the Ardwick brewers Issott's, by the 1970s it had become a Wilson's house. For a photograph and account from 1975 see the Hydonian blog
The pub's association with the Chartists movement is documented on a blue plaque on the front of the building.
Opened in 1830 and so named as it coincided with the opening
of the cotton mills in the Newton area by the Ashton Brothers
Features prominently in the Chartist movement,
largely because Joseph Rayner Stephens, Dr. P.M. McDouall
and John Bradley were arrested as a result of a meeting
held here on 28th July 1839
A popular meeting place for the local Chartists where
crowds would meet after dark with firearms
and banners to further their cause
for political and social reform
A contribution to signs, signs.


Dr Jamie Hakim
University of East Anglia
In this paper I reflect on initial findings from the ESRC funded, UK based ‘Digital Intimacies: how gay and bisexual men use smartphones to mediate their cultures of intimacy’.
I approach this question ‘conjuncturally’ (Hall et. al., 1978), understanding the pandemic not only in terms of physical distancing and lockdown but as an event that has precipitated a new historical conjuncture through its reshaping of the social, cultural, political, ideological, technological and economic forces that give form to British society.
Drawing on interviews with London and Edinburgh based gay and bisexual men, I argue that smartphone mediated intimacy has become a vital resource for these men to navigate the ways that the ‘affective chaos’ of the crisis-ridden post-2016 conjuncture (Grossberg, 2019) has intensified in 2020.
This conjuncture has so far been defined by the biological effects of coronavirus, the polarisation of the contemporary ‘culture wars’, the delegitimization of populism as a political project, economic crisis and the increased platformatisation of everyday life in the wake of physical distancing.
In terms of how gay and bi men’s cultures of intimacy have shifted amidst all of this, interviewees spoke of the tactics used to maintain intimacy in a pandemic; a sense of loss at the on-going closure of their physical spaces of intimacy (bars, clubs, sex-on-premises venues); having to turn to different forms of digitally mediated sex work; and the effect of the contemporary ‘culture wars’, especially in relation to racial politics, on their practices of intimacy.
By way of conclusion, I argue that these men’s digital cultures of intimacy need to be understood beyond the relationships they have with eachother, their digital devices, and LGBTQ+ social histories and instead be placed within all the conjunctural relations in which they are situated.


FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA, USA – The Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) recently released the 5th edition of the AIMCAL Metallizing Technical Reference. Published in mid-2012, the 5th edition is the product of an extensive review and careful updating by AIMCAL’s Vacuum Web Committee.
The updated reference contains 229 pages and adds content about testing results for aluminum thickness versus optical density, advanced substrates, and deposition developments. There are 16 sections including Test Methods and Procedures; Useful Relationships for Metallized Films; Contamination, Web Cleaning, Planarization, and Heat Stabilization; and Non-aluminum Deposition Materials and Techniques. The complete Table of Contents is listed on p. 2.
AIMCAL members may download a PDF version of the book for free in the Members Only section of the AIMCAL website or purchase a print edition for $59. Nonmembers may order the book for $99 plus shipping (on the AIMCAL home page, www.aimcal.org, click on the Technical References tab and select from the dropdown menu). The AIMCAL Metallizing Technical Reference also is sold as part of the AIMCAL Metal Adhesion Test Kit, which is priced at $139.


Book Shelf 2-Pack
Every dungeon adventure needs plenty of spell books and potions and other trinkets of knowledge. Where better to put them, than on a nice wooden bookshelf. Laser etched details showing books, jars, and even a globe. Measures 1.5" (38mm) tall, 1" (25mm) wide, and 7/16" (11mm) deep.
Includes laser cut MDF parts to make 2 book shelves.
Comes unassembled and unpainted, in a flat part board. All you need is a hobby knife, some glue, and a few minutes to put them together for your dungeon adventure!


2019 looks set to be one of the best years in recent times with respect to literature. With only a few months of the year having passed, there have been plenty of top quality books that have been published. By the time International Women’s Day came about in March, many literary commentators and critics were highlighting the fact that a good number of the best received books were written by females.
Maybe in the near future, the fact that some of the best book releases are from female authors won’t be such a remarkable thing. That said, great strides in gender equality are being made in all of the creative industries including novel writing. Regardless of the fact that 2019 has thus far seen so many good books written by women, what are some of the latest releases that you might want read in the coming months?
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Writing in a partnership, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have already had a novel on the best seller list before called The Wife Between Us. Their follow-up novel is a dark thriller which focusses on themes of obsession and passion. An Anonymous Girl is full of suspense. It begins with a character named Jess taking part in a psychological study. The research programme soon takes a dark twist and Jess tries to steer her way through a series of increasingly difficult circumstances. The action brings Jessica Farris involved in a series of common economic problems. Instead of throwing herself into playing casino games or anything else that could bring her money fast, the protagonist agrees to participate in a psychological study that will test her ethics and morality.
People Magazine named An Anonymous Girl as their book of the week. It also featured on Cosmopolitan’s ‘2019 Books to Bring to Your Book Club’. USA Today named it as one of its ‘Five New Books Not to Miss’, too. The novel is one that will have readers rethinking what secrets they might share if moral and ethics really come into play when protecting loved ones. A review in the New York Times said that the book’s characters were pushed to the ‘brink of disaster’ and then dared to jump off. This is the novel to read if you want an exciting page turner!
You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian
A collection of short stories, You Know You Want This is another book which focusses on the darker side of life. Roupenian first shot to fame when her short story Cat Person was picked up by an online readership and went viral. Few authors have gained an audience in this way and many publishers are following the success of You Know You Want This carefully because it may mark a change in the way all future debut works of fiction could be marketed. That said, Roupenian’s book is a conventional work despite her unconventional route into the mainstream.
Roupenian turns a critical writer’s eye over modern America and her short stories tend to focus on issues like work, dating and sexual interactions. However, the accent is on obsession and even on horror in some cases. Elle magazine described some of the stories as being ‘chillingly accurate’ so her ideas certainly have resonance with a contemporary readership. A writer with something to say about both men and women, Roupenian has set down a serious marker as an up-and-coming author.
The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang
A relatively short book set over just 224 pages, The Collected Schizophrenias is Wang’s collection of essays. It is an easy book to dip in and out of despite the serious subject matter that Wang is most at home with. This is an intimate series of writings which describe mental disorders in astonishing detail. Wang discloses much of her own trauma in this regard and picks apart the idea that a serious condition, like schizophrenia, can be seen as a single entity. Her works test conventional wisdom and suggest a greater plurality with all sorts of mental health issues.
In her collection of essays Wang touches on subjects as diverse as fashion and high-functioning coping methods to make her points. There again, some of the writing gets into less common forms of mental health disorders, such as psychosis. She examines the failings – as she sees them – of educational establishments and problems of engaging with mental health institutions. Wang possesses an analytical eye that some would regard as forensic. She has used her skills learned in a laboratory to produce an essay collection of stunning intellect. As such, The Collected Schizophrenias is able to overcome many common misunderstandings while offering valuable insights into a rarely highlighted condition.
The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
A novel that nearly every reader will enjoy, The Age of Light is set in 1930s Paris in an age that is undoubtedly glamorous but which has the forthcoming war on the horizon throughout. The main character is a former model who has begun a career on the other side of the lens as a photographer. In fact, Scharer’s novel is a dramatisation of the real life of Lee Miller, an American model who went on to have a successful career as a photojournalist.
Scharer’s debut novel jumps around in time in an intriguing way. The Times described the writer as capturing ‘the thrill of artistic creation’. A review in the New York Times referred to The Age of Light’s ‘incandescent prose’ which featured ‘an unforgettable heroine’. This is an historical novel which many readers will find is thoroughly up-to-date.
Maid by Stephanie Land
Subtitled Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, Land’s memoir about her time working a maid is an exploratory work which really unpicks what it is to be poor in a modern setting. Maid is a personal description of working in the service economy, often for low pay. The book takes in a number of aspects, such as working as a single parent, undertaking a number of domestic jobs in an ever-shifting labour market, accessing higher education, living in assisted housing and the problems associated with obtaining state benefits.
Land’s memoir was described in Publisher’s Weekly as an uplifting tale of ‘resilience and survival’. One New York Times reviewer called it ‘vivid and engaging’. The memoir was featured on BBC Radio 4 as the station’s book of the week. Maid is a real eye-opener that sheds light on the lives of many people who are struggling just to get by.


IASL 2018 The 47th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship | The 22nd International Forum on Research on School Librarianship
Lloc: Estambul (Turquia)
Descripció: The International Association for School Librarianship invites professional and research contributions to the 47th Annual Conference and the 22nd International Forum on Research on School Librarianship. The conference is dedicated to the advancement of theory and practice in school librarianship.
Who should attend?. The IASL Annual Conference provides a space for school librarians, teachers, administrators, researchers, and all those with an interest in education and libraries to join the exciting conversations about innovation, information, and impact of school libraries.
Why should I attend?. This year’s conference provides a space for practitioners to share their understandings of where we are today and to build for the future. The conference is participative and promotes dissemination and exchange of ideas in a variety of formats. It is also an excellent opportunity for delegates to learn more about the issues and trends in school librarianship, network with other librarians across the globe, experience the camaraderie of librarianship, and, dialogue about research and best practices in school libraries both local and international.
Més informació: IASL


QMENTA client API documentation¶
The use of qmenta.client is deprecated. Use qmenta.core instead.
This is the API client library to interact with the QMENTA platform. This implementation doesn’t intend to fully support all of the possibilities offered by the platform, and is provided only as a solution to automate tasks. Please remember that This is work in progress. API design will change and it is not stable by any meaning.
You can install the library using PyPI, check Installation
Suggestions and requests are welcomed at firstname.lastname@example.org.
- 1. Login to your account
- 2.a Create a project
- 2.b Get an already existing project
- 3. Create a Subject
- 4. Get an existing subject
- 5. Check the metadata from a subject
- 6. Add new parameters to a project
- 7. Modify the value of a parameter for a given subject
- 6. Upload data
- 7. Start an analysis
- 8. Upload a result
- API Reference


'Salmon Fishing on the Tweed' is a beautifully produced hardback with dust jacket and over 400 full-colour pages covering everything to do with the famous River Tweed
This amazing book was conceived as a tribute to the enjoyment Bill Quarry has experienced over sixty years of fishing for salmon on the Tweed.
The inspiration for the book comes from a deep respect for the magnificent Atlantic Salmon as well as the camaraderie and nature of the riverbank, and is a guide to the art of salmon fishing.
The author has fished on all of the main tributaries of the Tweed, as well as its main beats and the book contains valuable contributions and anecdotes from more than seventy past and present ghillies - the unique Tweed Boatmen.
This book is a reminder to anglers that the pleasures and enjoyment to be found in the art of fishing are not all about catching fish and it urges them to appreciate and understand the nature of the riverbank and the conviviality and fraternity to be found in days by the water.
Limited edition leather copies will also available.


A walk, just a short distance to the nearby park gates, but I walk more quickly than previously. Considering yesterday’s reflection on my blog entries I am moving swiftly on (no pun intended)………..
I am reading W.W. Tasker’s book Railways in the Sirhowy Valley. The title is a bit misleading as the book is hopelessly lopsided, relying on much anecdotal evidence based on his father’s experiences working for the LNWR (London and North Western Railway) and its successor company, the LMS (London, Midland and Scottish) and illustrated with Tasker’s own photographs. He makes little mention of the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company’s (TIC) quite extensive mineral line at the top end of the valley or the interaction between the two companies. Many questions remain unanswered.
Mineral traffic in general merits only a one page mention and even then the emphasis is on mixed goods operations rather than the massive coal (and, at first, iron) transport operation. The interaction between the mainline railway and the coal company is interesting considering the sheer amount of material to be handled and the fact that they were a customer of each other.
My next reading on the subject will be to get hold of J.M. Dunn’s reflections of his career on the railways in the area – but his book is unambiguously titled as being autobiographical.


Association for Gender Rights Advocacy
The Man Who Would Be
Queen The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of
Gender-Bending and Transsexualism by J. Michael Bailey, Joseph Henry
The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism by J. Michael Bailey, Joseph Henry Press, $24.95
What is the most horrifying outcome one can imagine from the story of a feminine boy who loves everything girlish?
That he should grow up to identify as a transgendered woman?
Clearly, this is the fear that animates J. Michael Bailey in his latest book, The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism.
Bailey, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University with a Ph.D. from the University of Texas, has been published widely in academic journals and is most famous for his studies of sexual orientation in twins. His new book, released in mid-March, has already created a stir, which may be exactly what Bailey intended.
A primary aim of Bailey's book is to challenge the distinction between sexual orientation and gender identity and expression that has become commonplace in the LGBT community.
"The standard lecture is that sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender role behavior are separate, independent psychological traits; a feminine man is as likely to be straight as gay," Bailey writes. "But the standard lecture is wrong. It was written with good, but mistaken, intentions: to save gay men from the stigma of femininity. The problem is that most gay men are feminine, or at least they are feminine in certain ways."
Bailey goes so far as to assert that "the causes of homosexual transsexualism are largely the causes of homosexuality."
But Bailey's challenge is to explain why some male-to-female transsexuals are attracted to women--heterosexual pre-op and lesbian-identified post-op; in the end, he simply discounts them as pathologically narcissistic, deriding them as having "a very unusual sexual orientation (towards oneself as a woman)."
(In this book at least, Bailey ignores masculine women and female-to-male transsexuals altogether.)
Bailey's notion that sexual orientation and gender identity are rooted in the same "cause" is closely related to his view of the "nature vs. nurture" debate about homosexuality. He weighs in decisively in favor of essentialism-the contention that there is a phenomenon that we call homosexuality that is cross-culturally consistent in its fundamental characteristics and probably rooted in biology-and against social constructionism-the view that notions of sexuality and gender are relatively arbitrary and culturally specific and defined.
"I call the idea that men and women (and gay and straight men) have cross-culturally consistent (and probably innate) differences in interests the 'psychological' hypothesis," Bailey writes. "This is because it suggests that the sexes, and the sexual orientations, are really psychologically different. The competing idea, that these differences are largely arbitrary, is known as the 'sociological' hypothesis. This hypothesis implies that men and women, or gay and straight men, are the same psychologically, and that behavioral differences between them reflect sociological factors such as group identity."
In short, there is, in Bailey's view, a consistent psychological difference between gay men and straight men, and, unfortunately, it's just a short leap from there to the conclusion that pathology lies on one side of that divide.
Bailey not only seems to lack command of the most basic tenets of social constructionism--he claims, for example, that its proponents argue that all men are innately bisexual, when of course constructionism rejects the very notion of culturally transcendent identities based on innate characteristics--but, more importantly, he fails to acknowledge some of its most important insights. Social constructionists point to the cultural imposition of a rigid sex/gender binary as the source of homophobia and transgenderphobia in society, but Bailey cannot fathom how such pressure--not to mention the resulting internalized homophobia and transphobia--can create ambivalence in a boy about his femininity or in a girl about her masculinity.
Bailey opens and closes the book with the story of Danny Ryan, a boy who just can't help trying on his mother's clothes, and the author clearly sees this gender non-conforming behavior as pathological.
"It is difficult to see a boy like Danny Ryan without wondering why he exists," Bailey muses. "He is so unusual, and there is no obvious explanation."
Passages like this, sprinkled throughout the book, make clear that Bailey views masculinity in men as being unambiguously good and femininity in men as bad, or at least profoundly problematic. The title of the book--The Man Who Would Be Queen--suggests that Bailey views males who cross-dress or who express their femininity as faintly ridiculous or even pathetic figures.
Despite a sympathetic tone, Bailey never questions the assumption that femininity in boys is a form of "deviance" to be explained. This bias is clearest in his defense of the diagnosis of "gender identity disorder" (GID), still listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association.
GID is perhaps the single most controversial issue within the transgender community, with some passionately defending its use and others calling for its "reform" or even removal from the DSM. Some transsexuals believe that gender dysphoria is a real mental illness for which hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and sex reassignment surgery (SRS) are the appropriate treatment. Others justify retaining GID on the pragmatic grounds that it offers access to HRT and SRS, especially given that SRS is still considered "experimental" by the medical establishment. But as the number of transsexuals able to get private health insurance to pay for SRS dwindles, consensus in the transgender community is moving toward some sort of "reform" that would recast gender dysphoria as a medical condition rather than a psychopathology.
Bailey does not seem to recognize the extent to which GID pathologizes not only transsexuals but all gender-variant people as mentally ill. In fact, some proponents of GID, such as George Rekers-a fundamentalist Christian psychiatrist at the University of South Carolina medical school-explicitly advocate the use of GID as a tool to "prevent" homosexuality in "genderqueer" youth. Few LGBT people realize that a GID diagnosis can be-and is-used by homophobic parents to institutionalize gender-different youth in order to "cure" them. Most youth who face such treatment grow up identifying not as transgendered, but rather lesbian, gay, or bisexual. It is not just transsexuals whose lives are affected by a diagnosis of GID.
Bailey rejects Rekers' approach to GID as "unscientific" and "punitive," based on overtly religious "arguments for the superiority of heterosexuality," but he dismisses the challenge to GID as "ideological grandstanding at the expense of feminine boys" by those he calls "left-wing" critics whose real agenda is social change. By creating a left/right binary, Bailey is able to insert himself in the debate as a "moderate" concerned for the welfare of feminine boys. For Bailey, the task of the psychiatrist is not to question rigid notions of gender but rather to attempt to "treat" gender "dysphoria" in those unwilling to conform. The end game is avoiding what Bailey considers the ultimate disaster-the male who seeks sex reassignment surgery.
But Bailey never questions the real source of the "unhappiness" of feminine boys-the abuse and violence directed against them by a homophobic and transphobic society. In response to critics of GID, Bailey asks rhetorically, "Who can really hope to change society?" He seems unaware of the extent to which the transgender movement has begun to bring about just that kind of social change. Last year, 14 jurisdictions adopted transgender rights laws, including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Dallas. And public opinion surveys have shown increasing acceptance of transgendered people as they have of gays and lesbians.
Despite the book's subtitle-The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism--what is most striking about this book is how little it is informed by empirical research. Bailey presents no original research of his own in this book, and rests his conclusions largely on a superficial reading of a number of studies, including one conducted nearly 20 years ago by Richard Green of UCLA and published in 1987 in The Sissy Boy Syndrome and the Development of Homosexuality. Green's sample size was simply too small to provide the basis for firm conclusions about anything, his methodology was questionable at best, and his work is now woefully out-of-date. Instead of original research, Bailey offers a series of personal stories of boys who became gay men or transsexual women.
One has the impression of Bailey reaching to his bookshelf for some second-hand research and hastily throwing together a book in order to cash in on the vogue for anything about transgender. Bailey himself recently referred to the book as "scandalous," suggesting that its sensationalism is part of a conscious attempt to provoke controversy. Some controversies are productive; others just sell books.
Pauline Park (firstname.lastname@example.org) is co-chair of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy and has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois. This article is a joint project of Gay City News and the Pride Senior Network, in whose newsletter, The Networker, it also appears.
return to NYAGRA home page


The story of a working-class, Southern Baptist upbringing that transformed into a nightmare of bigotry and bullying in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Fear and What Follows is a riveting, unflinching account of the author's spiral into racist violence during the latter years of desegregation in 1960s and 1970s Baton Rouge. About the memoir, author and editor Michael Griffith writes, "This might be a controversial book, in the best way--controversial because it speaks to real and intractable problems and speaks to them with rare bluntness."
The narrative of Parrish's descent into fear and irrational behavior begins with bigotry and apocalyptic thinking in his Southern Baptist church. Living a life upon this volatile foundation of prejudice and apprehension, Parrish feels destabilized by his brother going to Vietnam, his own puberty and restlessness, serious family illness, and economic uncertainty. Then a near-fatal street fight and subsequent stalking by an older sociopath fracture what security is left, leaving him terrified and seemingly helpless.
"Tim Parrish's Fear and What Follows is the bravest, funniest, smartest, most damning, and most revealing book I've read on race and place in years. If you thought that everything had been already said about race, integration, and the American South, well, Tim Parrish's new memoir will make you think again. An unforgettable book by a hugely talented writer."
--Brock Clarke, author of Exley and An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England"Tim Parrish's voice is an important one in the polyvocal chorus of southern letters. With insight and urgency Parrish proves that even a stubborn, inherited racism can be vanquished through will. At the same time, he tells the riveting story of a mostly overlooked time, class, and place--a location that's at once unique and every bit as American as the rest of this variegated country."
--Elise Blackwell, author of Hunger and The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish"Parrish evokes an era of tremendous social upheaval while investigating his own inner tumult. Due to Parrish's considerable talent, this is a beautiful, difficult book that resists easy categorization. To my knowledge, there is no book that competes with it."
--Audrey Petty, author of High-Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing


The bust of Antinous is located in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
Antinous was from the Bithynia (modern day Turkey) and was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. While travelling with Hadrian and the imperial entourage along the River Nile in 130 AD, Antinous fell into the river and drowned.
The Egyptian God Osiris was murdered by his brother Set. There are different versions of the ‘Osiris Myth,’ one of which tells of Osiris being drowned in the Nile. This gave rise to an Egyptian tradition claiming that those who drown in the Nile are sacred. This tradition is celebrated on October 24th, the supposed day Osiris drowned. During the celebrations young boys who were considered beautiful were thrown into the Nile to drown (A sacrifice to Osiris in order to provide for the valley). It was during these celebrations that Antinous drowned in the Nile and thus the cause of his death was questioned. Some believed Antinous drowned by accident or by saving the emperor’s life, while others believe Antinous to have committed suicide in an act of self-sacrifice or was scarified by Hadrian. There is no detailed account of what happened to Antinous, however, in Hadrian’s description his death was not accidental.
Homosexual relations were not unusual in Roman times. However, the extent to which Hadrian memorialised his male lover was unprecedented. Hadrian founded Antinoplois (modern day El Sheikh Ibada, Egypt), a city located along the River Nile close to where Antinous died. Hadrian also deified Antinous and established a cult which quickly spread across the empire and rivalled Christianity.
Sculptural depictions of Antinous are often in the guise of Hermes or Dionysus and portray the downcast expression of a life lost too soon. Defining attributes of these sculptures include the broad chest, luscious curls and thick eyebrows, as seen in the adjacent photograph. Depictions of Antinous became somewhat of a standard of ideal male beauty. His likeness was third to Augustus and Hadrian, as the most depicted figures in classical antiquity.
Did you known? Antinous has been a symbol for homosexuality in western culture since the eighteenth century. He is sometimes referred to as the ‘Gay God.’ Antinous appears in the work of Oscar Wilde, The YoungKing, The Burden of Itys and The Sphinx. He also appears in the work of Fernando Pessoa, Antinous. Comparisons have also been drawn between Antinous and the characters of Dorian Gray (A Picture of Dorian Gray) and Enjolras (Les Miserables).


Angela Isadora Duncan (1877-1927)
Angela Isadora Duncan, the “Mother of Modern Dance,” was a revolutionary dancer born May 26, 1877 in Oakland, CA. Starting from humble and unconventional beginnings, Duncan found her greatest inspirations from nature. Throughout her career in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much to the world’s awe, she went against the cultural conventions of her day, and created a dance technique based on the natural movements of the human body and self-expression – a concept that was unheard of during her time. She believed that the dancer of the future would be one “whose body and soul have grown so harmoniously together that the natural language of that soul will have become the movement of the body.” Her artistry and vision inspired many artists of her time, helping to shape the world of performing arts as we know it today.
From the beginning, education of children through the art of dance was the foundation of Isadora’s vision. As early as 1898, at the age of 21, Isadora wrote: ‘In the practice of dancing…the child is obtaining the foundation of all other studies. The child is obtaining the knowledge of itself. What I want is a school of life, for man’s greatest riches are in his soul, his imagination….when asked for the pedagogic program for my school, I reply: ‘Let us first teach little children to breathe, to vibrate, to feel and to become one with the general harmony and movement of nature. Let us first produce a beautiful human being, a dancing child.”
The Isadora Duncan School of Dance was a family enterprise with Isadora’s sister Elizabeth in charge of the day to day curriculum. Dance was only one of the subjects taught. Each day there were 4 hours of general school work provided by state certified teachers in areas of history, literature, mathematics, natural science, drawing, singing, languages, and music. Remaining hours were spent in the study of the dance arts.
In her lifetime Isadora founded three schools. The first was in Grunewald, Germany 1904 to 1908. The second was in Paris, France 1914 to 1917. The last was in Moscow, Russia 1921 to 1927.


Books! Those paper boxes of ink and ideas are back and bigger than ever at Tribal DDB Toronto.
Launched in late 2012, the new library is stocked with books from Bernbach to Batman – all free for the borrowing for Tribal staff.
“We all spend tons of time looking at screens,” says Kara Wark, an Art Director at Tribal and one of the brains behind the library project. “We wanted to surround ourselves with other sources of inspiration and insight.”
Here’s some of what’s on the shelf:
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience
– Carmine Gallo
The Architecture of Happiness
– Alain De Botton
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It
– Charles Duhigg
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- Daniel H. Pink
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
- Susan Cain
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!
- Dr. Seuss
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
- Frank Miller
On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft
- Stephen King
- Walter Isaacson
The Elements of Style
- William Strunk Jr.
Joseph Anton: A Memoir
- Salman Rushdie
Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the ’60s and Beyond
- Jane Maas
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
- Steven Johnson
All Star Superman
- Grant Morrison


Outpost is the heart-pumping second novel in Ann Aguirre’s Enclave series. Set after the eye-opening events of Enclave, Outpost continues the story of Deuce’s journey in the new world.
In the last book she had to face Freaks, Wolves and nature in order to survive with Fade, but things are different now, they have been taken in to a small town of survivors and Deuce is struggling with the mundane life of a normal girl. It doesn’t help that Fade is ignoring her and Stalker is more interested in trying to kiss her then honing their skills, but when the Freaks appear to be becoming smart and more organised Deuce sees that she is needed once more to fight for not only her life, but the life of the town she is beginning to love.
Now I loved Enclave. I loved Deuces character and the world she lived in and explored was beautifully worded. Outpost is no different, Deuce is the same person she was before with her head strong attitude and feeling she doesn’t yet understand. She is a believable and lovable character.
I’ve said this before in other reviews that I’m not a fan of love triangles, but here it doesn’t feel like a triangle. Sure two boys have the hots for Deuce, but her heart is meant for only one which is clear from the way she thinks and acts. I’m interested to see how the ‘triangle’ plays out in the third book as it is likely to be a major part of the story.
I have to say I did miss the action from the first book, don’t get me wrong there are lots of sneaking and fights, but I think I miss the atmosphere of the underground and the ruined cities. Outpost is all crops and the town, but this book is about the relationships which have you hooked from start to finish so I can’t complain too much.
Outpost is as good as Enclave and definite read from anyone looking for a Dystopian novel.


Bibles & Literature in French
PO Box 629
Wheaton, IL 60187
The Public Library Pack seeks to maximize the exposure of the Word of God and Christian teaching by placing quality Christian literature where it is highly accessible to the most people for the lowest cost. BLF Canada partners with a local French church and their Public Library to donate a shelf of French books. This puts a wealth of resources available for free for an entire community.
The partner church is coached on how to support their local library, and raise awareness of the books available.
The pack contains $1000 of French titles from our partners, such as BLF Europe, Aujourd’hui Espoir, and Publication Chretienne on subjects such as marriage, relationships, parenting, mental disorders, emotions, kids’ books (including the popular Manga Bibles), apologetics and Christian living. Each book has a sticker on the inside cover stating it was placed by BLF Canada, and referring the reader to a website to buy copies of the book for themselves.


Hello Fellow Bears!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 Academic Year!
Whether you are a new student just beginning your college journey or a returning student continuing your academic pursuits, I extend a warm and enthusiastic welcome to each one of you.
To our new students, congratulations on choosing Bridgewater State University as your home for higher education. We are thrilled to have you join our diverse and vibrant community. As you embark on this exciting chapter of your life, know that you are supported by dedicated faculty, librarians and staff who are committed to your success. Explore the numerous academic programs, co-curricular activities, and resources available to help you thrive during your time here.
To our returning students, welcome back! Your passion for learning and your contributions to the campus community have been an inspiration to all. We are excited to continue our journey together and to witness the growth and achievements you will undoubtedly accomplish this academic year.
At BSU, we take pride in fostering an inclusive and supportive environment that nurtures both intellectual and personal development. As you immerse yourselves in your studies, I encourage you to engage in meaningful experiences, collaborate with your peers, and take advantage of the various opportunities for personal and professional growth.
As we navigate the academic year ahead, we remain committed to your health and well-being. Our campus continues to implement necessary measures to create a healthy environment for everyone.
This Student Handbook includes many of the policies and procedures that guide student life. As a BSU student and member of this community, it is important that you have a thorough understanding of your rights and responsibilities. Please familiarize yourself with the handbook, the resources available to you, as well as the student conduct processes. Whether you are new or returning, you are an integral part of creating a positive and safe environment within our university community.
The Division for Student Life is here to support your achievement of academic and personal goals. We look forward to witnessing the impact you will make during your time at Bridgewater State University and the contributions you will bring to society beyond graduation.
Together, let us make this academic year one of discovery, growth, and accomplishment.
Welcome once again, and let's embark on this journey together!
With BSU Pride and Spirit,
Joseph A. Oravecz, Ph.D. Vice President
Division for Student Life
- Bridgewater State University reserves the right to amend, change or update any information, policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and the Code of Conduct. If changes are made to the Student Handbook during the academic year, attempts to notify students will be made via “Student Announcements”. New or revised policies and procedures can easily be referred to within the Addenda of the Student Handbook. A copy of this handbook is available in the Division for Student Life central office. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please call 508- 531-1276 or stop by the Division for Student Life central office, located in Boyden Hall, Room 106.


Now that most of us have access to the internet, there’s a ton of good information out there about tessellations, so I’m not going to repeat it here. Rather, here are just a couple of examples and then some references you can use on the internet or get at a book store. With regard to the printed material, I have great luck finding used books to order online, mostly through AbeBooks.
The book I used most in learning about tessellations is Introduction to Tessellations by Dale Seymour and Jill Britton. It’s an old book, but math doesn’t change much and it should be available second hand. The take-home from this book is that tessellations are easier to design if you use graph paper of various kinds to guide your drawing. Options include regular graph paper with squares, dot paper, and triangle paper, as well as paper pre-printed with hexagons. If you check the internet, you can find places to print any of these, or there are samples in the back of the book for you to reproduce. The links above go to places that allow you to print various dot or triangle papers, but full disclosure: I haven’t tried them, since I have the book!
Another common way to make tessellations is to start with a piece of paper, cut a hunk out of it, and move the hunk to another edge. There are many variations on this, and I suggest you get some index cards and just go for it.
Here are some tessellations I have made to illustrate various possibilities.
It’s also possible to cut off a piece, move it to another location on the block, and then rotate it. At this point things become much more complex, and lead to the kind of tessellations that make almost anybody’s head spin! Luckily, there is an excellent step-by-step tutorial on how to do that at http://mathengaged.org/resources/activities/art-projects/tessellations/.
For a detailed lesson on how to make more complex tessellations (more like M. C. Escher), look at artist Juliana Kunstler’s website.
And here are a few of the many books available about tessellations:
Introduction to Tessellations by Dale Seymour and Jill Britton. This one is practical and relatively easy to understand.
Designing Tessellations by Jinny Beyer. This book goes into a lot of detail on how to make complex tessellations, but is easy to understand despite this. She has some beautiful examples of tessellated quilt patterns.
Tessellation Quilts by Christine Porter
For those in the Greensboro MQG, I hope you will design some tessellations and bring them for show-and-share in April! See you there!
Please note: As always, the links in this post are provided for your convenience only; they are not affiliate links that pay me if you click on them.


The Complete Works of Roaring Jack, 1987 -1991 - Roaring Jack
The Complete Works of Roaring Jack, 1987 – 1991.
Complete record of early folk/punk band Roaring Jack, fronted by the late Alistair Hulett available on this excellent double CD. Roaring Jack stormed round Australia supporting such luminaries as The Pogues and Billy Bragg before disbanding in 1991. Think of the Pogues, with politics, on a very good day. Thats Roaring Jack.
This cd comes highly recommended here at Four Dogs Music.
|Genre||Celtic Music, Folk/Folk Rock, Politics and Struggle|
|Number of discs||2|
|Label||Jump Up Records|


The Boston Public Library, is a pioneer among US libraries. It was the first library to allow citizens to borrow books and materials, the first to establish off-site branches, the first library to designate a “children’s room” and storytelling, and the largest public research library in New England. The library has a wide variety of resources, along with rare historical artifacts, including early editions of William Shakespeare’s early works and original scores of Mozart.
Known to locals as the “BPL”, the library has an unimagineable amount of materials available for use to members of the library and nonmembers. According to its website, it gives patrons access to over 24 million items of all formats, including 6.1 million books.
Library cards are free, and easy to obtain, so long as you can prove you’re a Boston resident. The library recommends bringing either a driver’s license from Massachusetts showing a current Boston residence, or bringing formal letters, along with another form of photo identification.
Yesterday, I went to the library to get information regarding a Supreme Court case I am learning about for my Law of the Press class. I went into the library through its Boylston street side, also known as the newer building. I got a bit lost, seeing as it’s enormous, and there are hidden rooms and side nooks everywhere. Finally, I resorted to going to the front desk to ask for directions. I told the nice man at the desk what I was working on, and he sent me off to the McKim Building.
Built in 1895, the McKim Building was the original “Boston Public Library”, made up of the main room which held the resources, a children’s room, a courtyard and galleries to display exhibits.
Today, the McKim Building is where the BPL houses its research collection.
I went into Bates Hall, an absolutely beautiful reading room. It was shockingly quiet for such a full room – a policeman walked up and down the aisle to ensure the room remained silent, for working purposes. Long wooden tables line the room, illuminated by beautiful green lamps and enormous arched windows.
Upon walking through the building, the librarians sit quietly at the desk, waiting to help anyone who asks. I went up to one of the women, Linda Bain, a Boston resident and long-time librarian at the BPL. Unfortunately, the particular court case I was looking up has apparently no resources available anywhere…but she tried to help me for over an hour. She didn’t just stand next to me, reading over my shoulder. She sat me down with a stack of Supreme Court books and newspapers she found, then disappeared for thirty minutes, handing me a packet saying she “couldn’t find material anywhere”. However, she managed to find information I never would have thought to look for – including the current e-mail address of one of the attorneys on the case (which was from 1973).
700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: 617 536 5400
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Closest T Station: Copley [Right in front of the library]
Days & Hours of Operation, Johnson & McKim Building Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.


Nationalism and its ideology is one of the most important ideas in the political, social and economic life of Western society for 500 years or more. It is as central a concern as kingship, state, church, and class.
Scholars are not agreed about what a nation means or when nations came into being. There are two views: the short one and the long. The short one is that the nation is modern and came into being some time in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries (Hobsbawm, Gellner, Kedourie). Scholars are not agreed when, or from where it emerged: the Enlightenment, American Revolution, French Revolution, Romanticism. According to the long view, the nation has its roots (in many cases) in the middle ages or earlier, in literacy in the vernacular, and in religions, especially the bible (Hastings, Anthony Smith). It begins with an ethnicity, a large group of people with a shared identity, based on culture and spoken language. Some ethnicities become nations. A nation is more self-conscious than an ethnicity: it normally has a written literature in its own language, a self-conscious identity, claims to autonomy and to a specific territory (like biblical Israel). Part of these claims are real, part imaginary.
From the seventh century to the twelfth (when it reached its most elaborate form, in An Leabhar Gabhála ‘the Book of the Taking of Ireland’), the Irish elite created a national identity, in the form of a striking myth of origin that established the position of the Irish amongst the peoples of the world and traced the Irish ruling classes to a single source. They state that they are a nation, as the Greeks, the Goths, the Gauls and others were nations. There were kings of Ireland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and a myth of an immemorial kingship of Ireland was created. This was accompanied by a remarkable flowering of Christian culture and an extensive literature in medieval Irish. The claim to nationhood (drawing on this myth of origin) is eloquently expressed in the Remonstrance of Domhnall Ó Néill (who claimed to be king of Ireland) and of the Irish kings to Pope John XXII about 1317. This idea of nationhood and the same myth of origin again became important in the seventeenth century, when the Gaelic Irish and Old English in Ireland, both under attack, were trying to create a Catholic nation under a Stuart monarchy. They failed.
In the eighteenth century Ireland was dominated by the ‘Protestant nation’, namely, the narrow Protestant ruling class (little different from other European ruling classes) that owned most of the land and had a monopoly of political power and the professions. The Government in London was determined to keep Ireland in a subordinate position, subject to the legislative authority of the British parliament. The position of the Protestant nation was early expressed by the learned William Molyneaux in his The Case of Ireland’s being bound by Acts of Parliament in England Stated (1698): Ireland and England were sister kingdoms, subject to the same monarch, but Ireland was not subject to the British parliament. Jonathan Swift put the case more trenchantly in his Drapier’s Letters (1724): ‘by the laws of God, of nature, of nations, and of your own country, you are and ought to be as free a people as your brethren in England’. With the American revolution in 1775, the constitutional demand became more insistent and finally the ‘Patriots’, Henry Grattan and his followers, won legislative independence in 1782, that is, that the Irish parliament alone had the right to legislate for Ireland. This lasted just eighteen years: it was swept away by the Act of Union in 1800. Some historians see this movement as ‘colonial nationalism’.
In Ireland’s case, nation and nationality are old, but nationalism, in the fullest sense, namely, that the nation should be an independent sovereign state and that all its members should struggle to achieve its independence and serve it, is an ideology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as it is elsewhere in Europe. Nationalism draws on all kinds of sources—myth, legend, religion, history, art, culture, language, literature—to create a cult of the nation. Irish nationalists drew on the achievements of the early medieval Irish church, the golden age, the idea that Ireland was a holy island, the early origin myths, and the history of its medieval kings. Besides, Irish nationalism was self-consciously the heir of the colonial nationalism of the eighteenth century and celebrated Grattan and his ‘Patriots’.
Political and cultural nationalism flowed in many streams in nineteenth-century Ireland and was understood in many different ways. Two main traditions can be discerned, though many held a position somewhere between. The one expressed itself through constitutional means, parliament, and peaceful agitation. Here belong O’Connell’s Repeal campaign (it is doubtful whether O’Connell was a nationalist), and the Home Rule movement of Butt and Parnell (both of whom wanted much more than self-government for Ireland). The other was revolutionary, often secret and oath-bound, and sought an independent Ireland, usually a republican one, by military force. The IRB (or Fenians) best represent this tradition. They drew some inspiration from revolutionary France, but little by way of a social or political programme. Forms of government and political theories were, in their eyes, things to be worked out after independence. The support of the people ebbed and flowed, and very many, often the great majority, were indifferent. Most of the landlord class was committed to the Union with Britain, as were many Protestants in the North-East, and saw Ireland’s best future as an integral part of the United Kingdom.
Thomas Davis and the Nation created a new Irish national identity in English, and this identity was elaborated in the balladry of the nineteenth century. Popular nationalist poets such as Thomas Moore, added to the repertoire, as did nationalist song-writers such as T. D. Sullivan, R. D. Joyce, Charles Kickham and others. Each political movement, each failed revolution, and each commemoration produced its crop of nationalist songs. The political attitudes of the ordinary people who sang them were at best ambiguous, often mawkishly sentimental.
The Gaelic League (Connradh na Gaeilge), founded by Eoin MacNeill (together with Douglas Hyde and others) brought a new and powerful element to nationalism: the preservation and revival of Irish as a living language and a conscious cultivation of the Gaelic past in all its cultural aspects. It was non-sectarian and non-political (until 1915 at least), but it had broadly nationalist objectives. It deepened and enriched the English-language nationalist rhetoric of Davis and those who followed him. It inspired a literary revival that could claim Yeats, Synge, and Lady Gregory amongst its leaders. It also inspired a literary revival in Irish and nearly every major figure in Irish writing belonged to it—Peadar Ó Laoghaire, Patrick Pearse, Pádraig Ó Conaire, Pádraig Ó Duinnín and others. Most of the leading Irish scholars of the early twentieth century began as members of Connradh na Gaeilge, notably Osborn Bergin and T. F. O’Rahilly. The Gaelic League was swept into the political ferment of the early twentieth century. Advanced physical-force nationalists joined it and many of those who took part in the Rising in Easter 1916 were members of the Gaelic League and drew inspiration from its cultural nationalist programme.
The destructiveness of Irish nationalism became more evident in the twentieth century. In 1913 armed Unionists (the Ulster Volunteer Force) confronted armed nationalists (the Irish Volunteers) in an uneasy stand-off. In 1916 the IRB core within the Irish Volunteers organised a Rising in Dublin. It failed. It was put down with unnecessary brutality by the British authorities and most of its leaders were executed. This in turn led to guerrilla warfare in large parts of Ireland, 1919–21, ending in a truce and an Anglo-Irish Treaty. The terms of the Treaty were accepted by a parliamentary majority but did not meet the aspirations of more extreme Republicans (or satisfy the ambitions of some of their leaders). This led to a destructive Civil War that ended in 1923 and caused bitterness and disillusion that lasted for more than a generation. Two separate states in Ireland, the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, came into existence in 1920–21. Those who saw themselves as true nationalists and true Republicans remained hostile to both, and saw both as a betrayal of the Irish nation.
Bibliography. Elie Kedourie, Nationalism (London 1960). Ernest Gellner, Nations and nationalism (Oxford 1983). Anthony D. Smith, The ethnic origins of nations (Oxford 1986). E. J. Hobsbawm, Nations and nationalism since 1780 (Cambridge 1990). Liah Greenfeld, Nationalism: five roads to modernity (Cambridge MA 1992). Adrian Hastings, The construction of nationhood: ethnicity, religion and nationalism (Cambridge 1997). Patrick J. Geary, The myths of nations: the medieval origins of Europe (Princeton NJ 2002). Anthony D. Smith, Chosen peoples: sacred sources of national identity (Oxford 2003). Donnchadh Ó Corráin, ‘Nationality and kingship in pre-Norman Ireland’, in T. W. Moody (ed), Nationality and the pursuit of national independence (Belfast 1978) 1–35. R. Dudley Edwards, ‘The contribution of Young Ireland to the development of the national idea’, in Séamus Pender (ed), Féilscríbhinn Torna (Cork 1947) 115–33. E. Strauss, Irish nationalism and British democracy (London 1951). Michael Hurst, Parnell and Irish nationalism (London 1968). Robert Kee, The green flag: a history of Irish nationalism (London 1972). R. V. Comerford, Charles J. Kickham: a study in Irish nationalism and literature (Portmarnock 1979). Seán Cronin, Irish nationalism: a history of its roots and ideology (Dublin 1980). Thomas E. Hachey & Lawrence J. McCaffrey, Perspectives on Irish nationalism (Lexington KY 1989). Paul Bew, Ideology and the Irish question: Ulster unionism and Irish nationalism, 1912–1916 (Oxford 1994). Breandán Ó Buachalla, Aisling ghéar: na Stíobhartaigh agus an t-aos léinn, 1603–1788 (Dublin 1996). Mark Suzman, Ethnic nationalism and state power: the rise of Irish nationalism, Afrikaner nationalism and Zionism (Basingstoke 1999).
Donnchadh Ó Corráin


Lynch, A., R. Anderson, and S. Unwin. 2010. Development of a GIS-Based Model for Evaluating Visual Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms. U.S. Department of Energy. Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES) for Offshore Wind, Appendix A, p. 1-14. http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-20020.pdf Authors of this study developed a GIS-based metric (based on two factors: visual magnitude and site-specific sensitivity) to quantify the visual impacts of a wind farm in the proposed development site of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA.
American Wind Energy Association. 2007. U.S. Wind Energy Projects. http://www.awea.org/projects/   This database provides information on existing and under construction wind energy projects by state.
D'Agnese, Joseph. 2007. Falling in Love With Wind: How a Small Farm Town Traded its Dairy Cows for Renewable Energy. On Earth; 29(2): 14-21. This article relates how New York State farmers started putting windmills on their farmland.
GPCo inc. 2006. Le développement de l'industrie éolienne au Québec. A report presented to the Canadian Wind Energy Association. 14pp. http://www.canwea.ca/images/uploads/File/Resources/dev_eolienQcjuin2006.pdf This study assesses the impact of the wind industry in Quebec. The first part provides an overview of the wind industry's development to date in Québec, and the second part compares the approach of Québec with that of other jurisdictions.
Latimer, Corinne. 2006. Planning for wind energy in rural Ontario: a comparison of the German and Danish experience to Huron, Grey and Bruce County. Master's thesis, University of Guelph.
Minnesota Department of Commerce. 2006. Environmental Report: High Prairie II Wind Project. Minnesota Department of Commerce, Energy Facilities Permitting. http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/documents/18884/High%20Prairie%20Wind%20Farm%20II%20ER%20022207.pdf This is the environmental report of a wind project in Minnesota.
Kher, Unmesh and Marc Hequet. 2005. War of the Winds. Time(166)16. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1115667,00.html This article describes the development of wind energy on Lake Michigan's eastern shore.
Canadian Wind Energy Association. 2004. Canadian Wind Energy Case Studies: Toronto, Ontario. http://www.canwea.ca/images/uploads/File/Wind_Energy_Policy/Economic_Impacts/Toronto_Case_Study.pdf This case study describes the economic benefits of wind energy development in the Toronto region.
Environmental Law and Policy Center. 2004. Midwest/Great Plains Wind Power Project Map. http://www.elpc.org/documents/WindMap2004.pdf This map shows the locations of all existing and planned wind power projects in the Midwest region as of 2004.
Caddet Renewable Energy. 1997. Lely Off-shore Wind Farm in the Netherlands. IEA; OECD: Technical Brochure No. 61. http://lib.kier.re.kr/caddet/retb/no61.pdf This technical brochure describes the only freshwater offshore wind farm in the world.


|Title||The increasing risk of Lyme disease in Canada|
|Publication Type||Journal Article|
|Year of Publication||2015|
|Authors||Mody CH, Leonard E, Koffi JK, Pelcat Y, Peregrine A, Chilton N, Rochon K, Lysyk T, Lindsay LR, Ogden NH|
|Journal||Can Vet J.|
There is an increasing risk of Lyme disease in Canada due to range expansion of the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis. The objectives of this article are to i) raise public awareness with the help of veterinarians on the emerging and expanding risk of Lyme disease across Canada, ii) review the key clinical features of Lyme disease in dogs, and iii) provide recommendations for veterinarians on the management of Lyme disease in dogs.


“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Ana Manwaring writes, edits, teaches and connects writers with writers in Wine Country, California. She’s branded cattle in Hollister, out-run gun totin’ maniacs on lonely highways, rented casas to Canadians in Cuernavaca, slept in ruins, PEMEX stations and beached sailboats, hitchhiked through-out the West, discovered hot springs in Baja, lived on houseboats, learned Spanish, advocated for immigration reform, consulted brujos, prepared hundreds of tax returns, visited every California mission, worked for a PI, and swum with dolphins.
Ana won first place in the 2006 Southwest Writers fiction contest for Chupacabra and was awarded the Cortage Scholarship for, I Do, a humorous look at wine country weddings. She was mentioned in the Tiny Lights 2007 contest for her essay Mole. KRCB’s Morning Haiku has featured her work and recently she won first prize for The Suitcase at www.wordsfordollars.com and second place in the Redwood Writer’s Spring Poetry Contest. Ana’s work appears in Vintage Voices, an annual anthology of the California Writers Club, Redwood Branch, which she has co-edited. She’s published locally, written for the Sunday English page in Cuenavaca’s Universal newspaper, and published a handbook for teaching English reading and writing to limited English learners. Zihuatanejo, the first novel of the JadeAnne Stone series is completed and Ana and is working on book two, Coyoacan.
Raised in California, both in the Bay Area and rural ranchlands with her “cowboy cousins,” Ana writes poetry and personal narrative as well as fiction that explores the themes of aging, racism, and immigration. She teaches Creative Writing and Memoir through Napa Valley College—Upper Valley Campus and privately in Sonoma County. Ana performs her work publically in bookstores, coffee houses, on public radio, at book festivals, in senior centers, community centers, libraries and classrooms.
An active board member of Redwood Writers, Ana She created the club’s financial reporting systems during her tenure as Treasurer and developed a membership database when she chaired the Membership Committee. She helped organize the ODD Month Readings, the Revision Workshops, the Tech Workshops, and the Redwood Reading Circle at the Sonoma County Book Festival with her husband, David Prothero of Dwarf Productions. She also founded The Redwood Salon, a roving, bi-monthly literary evening, the annual Vintage Voices Launch Party, Book Swap and Critique Club. Don’t miss Ordinary People/ Extraordinary Moments, Ana’s effort sponsored by Redwood Writers for the ArtsSonoma 2009 Festival at http://norcalextraordinary.blogspot.com.
Ana is happiest when she can help writers connect with one another and achieve their literary goals through classes and private editing. Her goal is to create an atmosphere of camaraderie and confidence where writers, both new and seasoned can come together to practice craft, “re-vision” writings, and support one another in becoming the best writers possible.
“Such a wonderful, compatible group. We are so lucky, and you deserve the credit for making it so successful!”
“Loved the class today and so did Lee. Felt so good being in the room with so many writer friends. Thanks.”
“I must say that in the 15 years I have been taking classes at the college, you are the best teacher we’ve had.”
“Your editing work on my book, “MICKEY-HOME WANTED” is a rescue mission. You are helping me find my way out of the jungle. Five hundred pages of words and I’m thinking, “What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong? I need help. I can’t see where I’m going.” There is still a huge challenge ahead, but with your help, I’m actually enjoying the journey. Many thanks.”
All of your criticisms of my story, “Ten Feet Tall and Bullet Proof,” had merit and I thank you for your efforts on my behalf.” —Phil Jerome


Frontmatter can be used to define page-specific metadata and configuration. The front matter must be the first thing in the file and must take the form of valid YAML set between triple-dashed lines. Here is a basic example:
---title: Coding like a Pro!---
Between these triple-dashed lines, you can set predefined variables (see below for a reference) which allow you to customize the page.
title: String # title of the page, visible in navigation sidebar, page content title, browser tab title and used for SEO and searchmetaTitle: String # used for SEO if provided, otherwise title is useddescription: String # page description used for search and SEOorder: Int # page order in navigation sidebar, the lower the higher it will appeardraft: Boolean # set to true to mark page as draft and not publish it (unless overriden by features.publishDraft property)editable: Boolean # set to true to show Edit on Repo button, set to false to hide itshowMetadata: Boolean # set to true to show page metadata, set to false to hide itshowToc: Boolean # set to true to show Table of Contents, set to false to hide ittocDepth: Int # Table of Contents depth (depth of headers used to calculate ToC)showPreviousNext: Boolean # set to true to show previous/next buttons, set to false to hide it
---title: 'Navigation'order: 4draft: trueeditable: truetocDepth: 1---


IOM Egypt Launches Tri-lingual Key Migration Terms Guide
Cairo, 30 June 2020 –IOM Egypt has launched the Key Migration Terms publication, which translates migration-related key terms in Arabic, English, and French. This publication, which serves as a guide, has been developed for Arabic-speaking readers based on the English glossary published by IOM in 2019. It contains 73 terms related to migration in Arabic, English and French to ensure it can be used across the Arab world, including in the countries where French is the second language.
The Key Migration Terms publication aims to provide clear, accurate and updated explanations of key terms in the field of migration that matches the ongoing development in migration realities, contexts and frameworks. This guide is designed for use by workers in the migration field in national and international legislative, executive and judicial entities, non-governmental organisations, media workers, university professors, students and for anyone with an interest in migration.
The publication, which has been arranged based on Arabic alphabet, contributes to the enhancement of Arabic knowledge production related to migration. This is of great importance, as the guide comes after the endorsement of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM); a road map for the countries to achieve a comprehensive objective which is migration that benefits all, that takes place in safe circumstances as an option not compulsory by harsh living conditions. The GCM was formally endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018.
Access the Key Migration Terms Guide here.
For more information, please contact Wigdan Mohamad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1012 428 527, Email: firstname.lastname@example.org


Inside: Are you ready to get your heart prepared for advent season? Here are 10 advent devotionals for women that would make a great addition to your quiet time with God in December.
Christmas is definitely my second favorite holiday — my favorite is Easter. Every year as December gets closer I find my heart stirring for something a little different.
I like taking time to quiet my mind and focus my heart during the season of Advent. A time of waiting for the coming of the Messiah. I have fond memories of lighting candles during Sunday service at church. But I never really did much else during that time.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve added some devotionals and bible studies to my quiet time during December. Some I use myself and others I share and work through with my boys. I thought it would be a help if I compiled a list of some favorites to share with you.
Quick Tip for Using an Advent Devotional
When it comes to working through an Advent bible study or devotional there are a few things to consider.
Don’t try to overload your bible study routine. It’s okay to set aside what you’re currently working on to work through an Advent study. If you try to do double the work you risk burning yourself out and then not spending any time in the Word. Don’t do that!
If your devotional is a little light or short and you want more try digging deeper into the scripture references and citations inside the devotional. The best devotionals will inspire you to go deeper into your studies. Don’t be content to read what someone else has to say about God’s word. To the work of finding out what it says for yourself.
One final tip: don’t turn your nose up at a children’s study or devotional. I have been surprised over the years that the books I read with my boys have the greatest impact.
Best 10 Advent Devotionals for Women
1. Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide
This is actually a quartet of books. Each book follows a child on a journey that takes them to the location of the birth of baby Jesus. The stories are simply fantastic, full of Jewish culture and each chapter ends with a scripture + devotion + reflection questions. I read one of these every year with my boys. I think we’ve gone through the entire series 3 times already.
2. The First Songs of Christmas: A 31-Day Advent Devotional: Meditations on Luke 1 & 2 by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
My favorite thing about the Advent season is the music. Christmas carols and worship songs are my favorite. The First Songs of Christmas takes a look at the songs of Mary, Elizabeth, the angels, Zechariah, and Simeon found in the book of Luke. Taking the time to look at some of the first songs proclaiming the Good News is a great and unique way to prepare for the season.
3. Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Complete Story of Christmas from the New King James Version
Reading through the account of the birth of Jesus is a great way to prepare for Advent. If you are a KJV person this devotional will be right up your alley. Good Tidings of Great Joy will walk you through the Christmas story from both the Old and the New Testaments. There are beautiful graphics inside the book plus hymns to sing, family devotional suggestions, and even an advent calendar.
4. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: An Advent Study by Lifeway Women
Looking for something to do with a group, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Our Hope Has Come would be great for that. There’s a combination of video and homework that will take you through Old Testament prophecy and fulfillment in the New Testament. Each week follows the traditional Advent themes and there are activities for adults, kids, and students!
5. Peace Be Still: A 31 Day Christmas Prayer Journal by Courtney Joseph
I love Courtney’s heart for helping women dig deep into the bible. She created this Advent-focused journal to help you meditate on the truths about Jesus. There’s a daily verse focusing on one of four themes: Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Along with prompts to help you pray through this important season.
6. Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu
If you love studying the names of Jesus as I do then this devotional will be a blessing and an encouragement. Following the weekly Advent themes- Unwrapping the Names of Jesus takes you on a journey through the pages of scripture pointing your heart toward the Messiah the entire month. And best of all there are lots of ideas for sharing this book with your children — including service projects you can do together.
7. He Is: An Advent Study on the Attributes of God by Becky Kiser
During my darkest days, I always find comfort in reminding myself of God’s character and nature. That’s what really drew me to He Is, a chance to dig deep into who God is and what that means during a season of waiting like Advent.
8. Behold! Blessed is She: Mary & Elizabeth: A Bible Study on Luke 1 by Meg Elizabeth Brown and Angie Morrison
Sometimes when you’ve studied something for a long time it gets a little stale and well, boring. When this happens I like to look for a way to breathe new life into my bible time. This study on Mary and Elizabeth was exactly that. Getting to dig deep into the story of these 2 women brought new life and light to the story of Christmas. Don’t be put off at the thought of studying the same chapter for an entire month. It’s well worth it!
9. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp
Study the family tree of Jesus with Ann in The Greatest Gift. Ann takes the Jesse Tree and goes deeper — as only she can. If you’ve never learned about all the incredible people in scripture from Jesse to the birth of Jesus grab a copy for yourself this year. And there’s even a version for your kids.
10. The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna by Liz Curtis Higgs
I have been a Liz Curtis Higgs fan ever since I discovered her “Bad Girls of the Bible” series. I love how she takes people from scripture — well-known or hardly known — and tells their story. In the Women of Christmas Liz tells the accounts of Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna. This study will help you get a deeper understanding of how each of these women played important roles in the birth of Jesus.
Do you emotions feel too BIG to handle? Learn how emotion mapping can help you calm down, rewire your brain, and learn to cope better so you can have peace and joy again!