Search results for ""chance""

Get in the Christmas spirit with this charming and funny festive rom-com perfect for fans of Elena Armas, Sophie Kinsella and Catherine Walsh! It's going to be a holly jolly Christmas... Toy Store owner Elodie Martin is not one to get into the festive spirit but nothing gets her fired up more than the chance to get one over on her nemesis, Callum Ashley – the frosty, infuriatingly handsome owner of the local department store. Christmas is the only time she can compete thanks to her grandad Jim, everyone's favourite Santa Claus. But when he has to unexpectedly hang up his red suit, Elodie is at risk of losing the business for good and has no choice but to rely on last-minute replacement out-of-work actor Nick Winter. Can a sprinkling of Christmas magic warm Callum's heart and help Elodie find her happily-ever-after? Or is it just possible that love is to be found a little bit closer to home? Readers love Santa Maybe!: 'Oh my heart!!! Mary Jayne Baker has straightened her crown and taken her seat back on the throne, fully deserving of a QUEEN title... I have literally been transported by this book... impossible to put down... It's a must read!!' littlemissbooklover87, 5* Review 'Santa Maybe is a great big love triangle with tinsel and flashing tree lights decked all over it... Impossibly, breathtakingly romantic... Invitingly sigh-worthy... reality wrapped in a shimmery sheen of hopes and hearts fulfilled.' SparklyPrettyBriiiight, 5* Review 'A five-star read that is worthy of any Santa list... So sweet and funny and had me so wrapped up that I sobbed buckets!!... I am well into the Christmas spirit now.' NetGalley 5* Review 'Aw, what a wonderful festive romance and with such a perfect ending!... This is such a brilliant story and the perfect festive romance to read this Christmas!... The ending is good and so perfect... I can't believe how much I have enjoyed reading this and how I couldn't stop turning the pages! Just want to re-read it again already!' thestrawberrypost 'A gorgeous story that takes all the ingredients of a perfect romantic comedy, and adds that extra sprinkle of Christmas magic to the mix... There is so much here to laugh out loud about, but Baker also knows how to reduce you to a weeping mess – and I loved every extra sparkly magical festive moment.' @brownflopsy, 5* Review 'I loved this so much... Think Miracle on 34th Street vibes, I could see this as a movie, it really was so good!!!!' @reemareads, 5* Review 'It had a You've Got Mail vibe to it and I loved that... Super festive and uplifting... If you're looking for a super festive and speedy read then I'd definitely recommend Santa Maybe.' @youngcreativepress 'Loved this christmassy read. Lovely story very enjoyable will be rereading come December.' @SarahOates10, 5* Review 'Fun festive rom com in book form, that made me smile... Enjoyable quick read, savour with a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows.' @librarianwithattitude1 'This is a sweet and lovely story; it will make you laugh and believe in love... Because, let's be honest, love is a little bit magic, it happens the moment you least expect it and it transforms your life... You'll have to read the book to know all the answers! And believe me when I say that this is a book that will make you smile!' Varietats2010 'Wonderful Christmas book... filled with so much love, warmth and Christmas spirit. Wonderful.' NetGalley 5* Review 'I have never read a Mary Jayne Baker book I didn't love. This one was no exception... A fun book which I enjoyed reading, whatever the season.' Goodreads 5* Review 'Another smash. This book is funny and clever, with a resolution to a potential love triangle that was done in a careful and believable manner... Add this to your Christmas reads.' Sikonat, 5* Review 'An absolute joy to read – it was gorgeously festive and I was so invested in the characters, even the ones I didn't want to like.' christmaslover1985, 5* Review

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Profound meditations on life, death, freedom, family, and faith, written by radical Black journalist, Mumia Abu-Jamal, while he was awaiting his execution."Uncompromising, disturbing . . . Abu-Jamal's voice has the clarity and candor of a man whose impending death emboldens him to say what is on his mind without fear of consequence."—The Boston Globe"A brilliant, lucid meditation on the moral obligation of political commitment by a deeply ethical—and deeply wronged—human being. Mumia should be freed, now."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. University Professor & Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University"A brilliant, powerful book by a prophetic writer . . . his language glows with an affirming flame."—Jonathan Kozol, author of Death at an Early Age and Rachel and Her ChildrenJournalist and activist Mumia Abu-Jamal has been imprisoned since 1982 for the killing of a police officer, a crime he steadfastly maintained he did not commit. In 1996, after serving more than a decade on death row, and with the likelihood of execution looming, he began receiving regular visits from members of the Bruderhof spiritual community, a group of refugees from Hitler's Germany. Inspired by these encounters, Mumia began to write a series of personal essays reflecting on his search for spiritual meaning within a society plagued by materialism, hypocrisy, and violence. "Many people say it is insane to resist the system," writes Mumia, "but actually it is insane not to."This expanded edition of Death Blossoms brings a classic, influential work back into print with a new introduction by Mumia, and includes the entire text of a groundbreaking report by Amnesty International detailing the legal improprieties and chronic injustices that marred his trial.Praise for Death Blossoms, Expanded Edition:"For years in my classrooms I have watched Death Blossoms do its luminous work. It has awakened the conscience of so many of my student readers. Once awakened, they begin to shoulder the disciplines of its revolutionary knowing, moral passion, historical precision and clarity of reason. No wonder repressive powers seek death for this prisoner of conscience. Alas for them, Mumia still lives. From streets to classrooms and back, Death Blossoms keeps opening up consciences, hearts, and minds for our revolutionary work."—Mark Lewis Taylor, Professor of Theology and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, and author of The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World"Targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO for his revolutionary politics, imprisoned, and sentenced to death, Mumia found freedom in resistance. His reflections here—on race, spirituality, on struggle, and life—illuminate this path to freedom for us all."—Joshua Bloom, co-author with Waldo E. Martin Jr. of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party"In this revised edition of his groundbreaking work, Death Blossoms, convicted death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal tackles hard and existential questions, searching for God and a greater meaning in a caged life that may be cut short if the state has its way and takes his life. As readers follow Mumia's journey through his poems, short essays, and longer musings, they will learn not only about this singular individual who has retained his humanity despite the ever present threat of execution, but also about themselves and our society: what we are willing to tolerate and who we are willing to cast aside. If there is any justice, Mumia will prevail in his battle for his life and for his freedom."—Lara Bazelon, author of Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction"Mumia Abu-Jamal has challenged us to see the prison at the center of a long history of US oppression, and he has inspired us to keep faith with ordinary struggles against injustice under the most terrible odds and circumstances. Written more than two decades ago, Death Blossoms helps us to see beyond prison walls; it is as timely and as necessary as the day it was published."—Nikhil Pal Singh, founding faculty director of the NYU Prison Education Program, author of Race and America's Long War"For over three decades, the words of Mumia Abu-Jamal have been tools many young activists have used to connect the dots of empire, racism, and resistance. The welcome reissue of Death Blossoms is a chance to reconnect with Abu-Jamal's prophetic voice, one that needs to be heard now more than ever."—Hilary Moore and James Tracy, co-authors of No Fascist USA!, The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and Lessons for Today's Movements

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From the Preface When I first went to Africa in the 1960s, I was bowled over by African art. What really got under my skin were the bangles, principally the bronze bangles from West and Central Africa. They were tactile, weighty and full of design and form. Later, when I lived in Ghana and Togo, I built up my own collection of bangles. In recent years this collection was seen by past and present curators of the British Museum and I was encouraged to work up the expertise to comment on and possibly help classify the Museum’s collection of African bangles. They recognised that they have thousands of these bangles lying mostly untouched and unloved because they could not be given a story, a context, a meaning. They were so enthusiastic and helpful that I secured introductions to many major museums around the world, to study their substantial and interesting collections. Museums in Europe and on the East and West Coasts of the United States gave me access to the rich material they had accumulated. I had the rare privilege of spending days in their storerooms in the course of which I could see and compare many thousands of bangles. The curators who accompanied me in the inspection of their bangles were aware that these beautiful artefacts had lain undisturbed because they could not be explained or set in a wider context. The bangles were attractive but seldom came with a meaningful provenance. To their great credit, these highly-qualified specialists would listen enthusiastically as my wife and I noted bangles which we had encountered elsewhere. Seeing all these bangles and thus, over time, gradually building up a picture of their types, uses and probable areas of origin, I began to realise that I was looking at a decorative culture which was self-generated, wholly unlike the decorative cultures of the rest of the world. It was unique. Astonishingly, it was to be found in almost every inhabited part of the vast semi-continental area of sub-Saharan Africa. Gold and silver were of little consequence. Copper was their “precious metal”. The style – instantly recognisable – was chunky, solid, weighty. Rarity was not a concern; the Eurasians’ “precious stones” were unknown. Rings had no great meaning. It was bangles that were the standard means of conveying status, attraction and readiness for marriage. Most importantly, as I read the stories of explorers and the later accounts of African life in the 19th and 20th centuries while I worked through the museums’ storerooms, it became clear to me, that for centuries, the bangle had been the one and only defining material culture shared by all Africans south of the Sahara. At last, an overall picture was emerging and there was now a chance of describing it before it was too late. The bangle culture that had unified Africans, through which and in which they had lived much of their lives, was fading fast. In their heartland of West and Central Africa the tactile bronze bangles that everyone wore in the 19th century – and which I saw occasionally in northern Ghana in the 1980s – were now encountered more in museums than on the bodies of inhabitants of those regions. This book will follow the art-historical practice of using “bronze” to describe all forms of copper alloys, including brass, when the composition is not directly relevant and retain “copper” for occasions when the pure metal is being discussed. “Bangle” will be used as the generic term for all forms of jewellery applied to the human body. This bangle culture is still an unselfconscious part of daily life in a few isolated African tribes and used quite naturally to send messages. But, in a few decades, this bangle culture will survive only in less traditional forms and only in limited areas in East and Southern Africa. At its height, it was an admirable system of great importance to social intercourse, replete with significance, great beauty and craftsmanship. It deserves to be recorded and I will try to do this in this book. I will set out why this bangle culture was so different from anything else in the world; the skill with which the bangles were made; and how the bangle culture spread throughout all Africa south of the Sahara; I will have to admit that the industrial world and its products have led to the Eurasian hierarchy of gold and silver overtaking bronze in Africa and, indeed, eliminating it as a “precious metal”. But I will end on a note of hope, that there are indications that the sense of solidity of form and the respect for copper that was evident in classical African bangles may still live on among African Americans.

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A sumptuous monograph presenting for the first time the extraordinarily imaginative and delightful work of visionary artist Renaldo Kuhler (American, 1931–2013). The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler catapults a thrilling new discovery into the pantheon of the most accomplished visionary—or “outsider”—artists. Like Henry Darger, Howard Finster, George Widener, and Adolf Wölfli, Renaldo Kuhler was an exceptionally gifted artist and possessed an imagination all his own. By day Kuhler was a self-taught scientific illustrator under the employ of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, for which he created thousands of wonderfully precise illustrations of myriad natural history specimens—reptiles, fish, turtles, and the like. Renaldo Kuhler was an unusual individual, as was instantly clear from his appearance alone. Six-foot-four, with a white beard and ponytail, he wore a custom-tailored uniform consisting of a sleeveless Kelly green suit jacket with wide, black, notched lapels, epaulets, and brass buttons, a matching suit vest, yellow flannel dress shirt, a fleur-de-lis Boy Scout neckerchief, and tight-fitting knee-length shorts (“cotton-blend lederhosen”). However, unbeknownst even to family, friends, and coworkers, Kuhler was more than an eccentric, gifted scientific illustrator. He was a prolific visionary artist, who, as a teenager in the late 1940s, invented an imaginary country he named Rocaterrania—after Rockland County, New York, where he had lived as a child. For the next sixty years, in secret, he illustrated the nation’s entire history and the prominent characters of its populace. Rocaterrania is a fantastical world, a richly illustrated amalgam of Kuhler’s personal cultural and aesthetic fascinations. Situated just north of the Adirondacks in New York, at the Canada–United States border, Rocaterrania is a sovereign nation of immigrants, from Scandinavia to Eastern Europe. Kuhler invented a complete world populated by a royal family and a succession of leaders resembling historical Russian figures, Women reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich and Janet Leigh play important roles as do bearded men of a seeming Hasidic Jewish heritage, men bearing curious physical similarities to American presidents, and neutants—individuals neither male nor female. Amid forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers, Kuhler’s imaginary country is made up of provinces and cities filled with distinctive Rocaterranian architecture and well-planned railroad and metro systems. Its government is unique, and it has its own religion, Ojallism, and its own evolving language and alphabet. With an organized labor service, a prison system (modeled after a New Jersey state penitentiary), a university system, a Rocaterranian Olympics, and an independent movie industry, Rocaterrania is a nation bustling with dozens of characters and their intrigues. Initially meant to be an escape, Kuhler's Rocaterrania became a secret lifelong obsession, an intricately coded, metaphorical account through Rocaterrania’s tumultuous history, which dovetailed with Kuhler’s own struggles for independence and freedom. Renaldo was the son of the German-born industrial designer Otto Kuhler, renowned for his Art Deco–era streamlined trains; his Belgian mother had little patience for her son, who was ostracized and bullied throughout his life for being “different.” The Kuhler family moved in 1948 from Rockland County, New York, to a remote cattle ranch in the Colorado Rockies—an unbearably isolated environment for the teenaged Renaldo. Retreating to his sketchbooks, journals, and watercolors to invent his imaginary nation of Rocaterrania, young Kuhler wrote, “The ability to fantasize is the ability to survive.” The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler is filled with more than 400 illustrations in pencil, ink, acrylic, oil, gouache, watercolor, colored pencils, and markers, demonstrating Kuhler’s phenomenal draftsmanship and wide range of style—from delicately shaded graphite works to comic-book ink drawings. Complementing Kuhler’s impressive artistry is his gift for analogical thinking, which flowered in his appropriation and reimagining of personalities, places, and events from world history to form a cohesive and fully imagined world. After decades of secrecy, Kuhler eventually first shared his work and the story of his imaginary country with filmmaker Brett Ingram, whom he met by chance in the mid-1990s. In 2009 Ingram released Rocaterrania, a feature-length documentary with prized footage of Kuhler at home and at work, and talking about his creation. With The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler Ingram has written the complete story of Rocaterrania as relayed to him over time by Kuhler, resulting in a fascinating, highly entertaining first and major book about this rare, newly discovered, full-blown visionary outsider artist.

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Among all the fifty-six men who have served as New York’s governor, none was more complicated, self-righteous, pugilistic, and exasperating than Mario Cuomo. As governor, Mario Cuomo is remembered most for his advocacy of the “personally-opposed-but” position on abortion that led to confrontations with Catholic Church hierarchy, and for dithering about his presidential ambitions, that led the media to dub him the “Hamlet on the Hudson.” His political style reminded many of Machiavelli; Cuomo styled himself a successor to St. Thomas More. In this political profile, George J. Marlin sets the record straight on Mario Cuomo. Marlin traces Cuomo’s political rise and documents how and why he abandoned his public opposition to abortion to be elected New York’s chief executive. In great detail, Marlin describes the protracted conflict between Cuomo and his church on abortion and refutes the governor’s claim that his “position on abortion is absolutely theologically sound.” Marlin critiques Cuomo’s famous 1984 Democratic convention speech as nothing more than the usual high-toned partisan liberal bromides that offered little, if anything, that hadn’t been touted by his party for half a century. The book also uncovers New York State’s fiscal, economic, and social decline during Cuomo’s 12 years as governor. It explains why voters repudiated Cuomo’s version of a welfare state when he sought a fourth term in 1994 and why, in the words of his son, Governor Andrew Cuomo, his father was “more accomplished as a speech-giver than as a governor.” Marlin skillfully separates the Cuomo “Public Intellectual” myth from the political man. Mario Cuomo, three times Governor of New York, an eloquent hard edged Catholic from Queens, dominated not only his home state but national liberal politics in the age of Reagan. Whether the subject was police or theology, Cuomo rhetorically overpowered the reporters who covered him. But he’s finally met his match in George Marlin’s Mario Cuomo The Myth and the Man. Marlin’s extraordinary equipment; a former candidate for Mayor of N.Y.C., former executive director of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, author of books on Catholic voters and the Archbishops of New York, has made him the ideal author of what’s sure to be seen as the definitive political biography of Mario Cuomo. — Fred Siegel, Author, The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life and The Future Once Happened Here: New York, D.C., L.A., and the Fate of America’s Big Cities. “It’s easy to forget what an important and fascinating figure Mario Cuomo was during New York’s raucous political heyday of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when the likes of Hugh Carey, Ed Koch, Al D’Amato, and Rudy Giuliani strode the political stage. Thankfully, George Marlin’s wonderful new Cuomo biography will help everyone remember both the good and bad of the remarkable man who served three terms as governor, turned down a seat on the Supreme Court and rejected the chance to run for President. Here are both Cuomo’s successes and failures — and of the latter there were many. An important work that helps restore our collective memory. — Fredric U. Dicker, the New York Post’s longtime state editor and a TV and radio commentator, covered six governors during 40 years at the state Capitol in Albany. George Marlin is virtually peerless in blending high principle with knowledge of street-level politics and the nuts-and-bolts of otherwise mundane governance to produce readable, yet deeply insightful, social and political portraits. Mario Cuomo: The Myth and the Man, examines in fine detail one of one of New York state’s most consequential, if also deeply flawed, 20th-century gubernatorial incumbencies. Plus, readers get a bonus: Insight into what shaped the career of Mario Cuomo’s Democratic superstar son, Andrew. Marlin has been in the trenches himself and thus can separate blarney from beefsteak – which this fine volume once again demonstrates. —Bob McManus, Contributing Editor, The City Journal, was the New York Post’s Editorial Page Editor (2000-2013), and The Albany Times Union’s Executive City Editor (1975-1981). “George Marlin not only captures the political life and journey of Mario Cuomo, but details his policy approach that led to the near demise of the Empire State. Fortunately, the Conservative Party of New York was there to carry the torch and provide the margin of victory for George Pataki ending the senior Cuomo’s reign.” —Michael Long, State Chairman, Conservative Party of New York (1988-2019) “For both better and worse, Mario Cuomo was the quintessential American Catholic politician of an entire postwar generation: ambitious, brilliant, articulate, serious about his faith, and flexible in how and where he applied it. George Marlin is a writer of considerable skill, and he uses here it to produce a provocative, absorbing portrait of the man and his career. —Francis X. Maier, Senior Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center

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'Unique and stunning. One of the most powerful novels you'll read this year'Stephen Booth on The FatherIn the second part of the highly acclaimed and internationally bestselling series Made in Sweden, one brother fictionalises the real crimes of his own family for a remarkable and epic novel.After six years in prison, Sweden's most notorious criminal Leo Dûvnjac is free, acquitted of all but two of the ten bank robberies he and his two younger brothers pulled off.While behind bars, he befriended Sam Larsen, who was convicted of murdering his own father - and also happens to be the brother of the cop who caught Leo, Detective John Broncks.With Sam at his side, Leo seeks out his now-law-abiding brothers for one last job and a chance at redemption - or revenge. But Bronks is on to him, and Leo's father has other plans for his sons . . .Now two sets of brothers will play out the tragic and thrilling destinies of childhoods built on heartbreaking betrayal.Praise for The Father and The Sons'A powerful real-life story'Guardian'The emotional centre of the story is truly compelling . . . the sweep and scope are epic'Herald'Superior. . . builds to a breathless climax'Sun'A deep, clean cut into the body of fathers, sons, loyalty and family'Sainsburys Magazine'Will delight fans of Nordic Noir'Crime Fiction Lover'Mind boggling and captivating'The Crime Warp'An incredible story'Crime Time'Incredibly efficient and easy to read . . . gripping and thrilling'Helsingborgs Dagblad, Sweden'An unbelievably exciting and authentic story. . . One of the year's best crime stories'Östran, Sweden'An insider story that beats any action film'Aftonbladet, Sweden'A remarkable blend of fact and fiction'Skånska Dagbladet, Sweden'Many of the scenes stick with you'Expressen, Sweden'A powerful and riveting reading experience'Deckarbloggen, Sweden'One of the summer's best thrillers'Café, Sweden'The action in The Father is captivating. It holds us in suspense from the first page to the last'LitteraturMagazinet, Sweden'I have a soft spot not only for suspense novels, but also for coming-of-age stories; here, I get both!'Bokbabbel, Sweden'The craftsmanship in this novel is first-class. It is both exciting and dramatic in an almost cinematic way'Gefle Dagblad, Sweden'It is hard to put The Father down for more than the briefest moment. It is an empathetic story that vividly portrays perpetrators, victims and police'Upsala Nya Tidning, Sweden'It is captivating to read about the inner workings of a gang of robbers'Borås Tidning, Sweden'A very clever suspense novel, a classic story of crime and punishment that is simultaneously a gripping family drama with a genuinely painful element'BTJ, Sweden'The Father is more than a traditional suspense novel. It is also a story of exclusion, a fractured family, an unfamiliar Sweden and a kind of honour culture. This is why it is so totally relevant to us'Mariestads-Tidningen, Sweden'The Father isn't just exciting - it also gives a sincere picture of a home that is a far cry from that of your average Joe'Ölandsbladet, Sweden'A thrilling novel that becomes something much more than a book you can't put down'Tara, Sweden'A flawlessly constructed thriller'Femina, Sweden'The Father is thoroughly exciting from the first line to the last. Seductively well-written'Kristianstadsbladet, Sweden'A gripping coming-of-age story, flush with exciting scenes and the psychological battle between father and son'Falu-Kuriren, Sweden'The Father is a novel where we know already from the beginning how it will all end, but the way there is worth our while'Aftonbladet, Sweden'A book that seems infallible: bring on the cartloads of stars, the stellar reviews and the millions of readers'de Volkskrant, Netherlands'The Father is a book that will elicit a lot of response, a must-read for every crime lover. Actually, a must for anyone who likes to read'Hebban, The Netherlands'An incredible crime novel'Brabants Dagblad, Netherlands'The meticulous preparation and execution of the robberies are depicted stunningly' NRC Handelsblad, Netherlands'It is amazing how much tension the authors create while merely describing the preparations for the robberies. Even more exciting are the robberies themselves'VN Thriller & Detective Guide, Netherlands'Never before have I read a book that so successfully explains how people can end up as criminals'Het Nieuwsblad, Netherlands'The Father provides an intriguing insight in the criminal life'De Telegraaf, Netherlands'The Father is a technically wonderful novel crafted with breathtaking cleverness' Corriere della Sera, Italy'Totally crazy, totally reckless and totally brilliant: a well-researched fictional reality of a book ... the best crime thriller of the year so far'Nordjyske Stiftstidende, Denmark'The structure is strictly cinematic: well-formed scenes with sharp dialogue and seamless progress, making reading a pleasure. Once you've started reading, it's hard to put the book down'Politiken, Denmark'It's extremely well written, thrilling, gripping, gruesome, cheerful, anguished, heartwarming, and ice cold - spectacular in all ways. The Father is a world-class piece of fiction'Fredericia Dagblad, Denmark'[An] action-packed page turner - not for the faint of heart'Elle, Germany

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During the last months of the war, Josef Pieper saw the realization of a long-cherished plan to escape from the “lethal chaos” that was the Germany of that time, “plucked,” he writes, “as was Habakkuk, by the hair of his head . . . to be planted into a realm of the most peaceful seclusion, whose borders and exists were, of course, controlled by armed sentries.” There he made contact with a friend close-by, who possessed an amazing library, and Pieper hit upon the idea of reading the letters of Goethe from that library. Soon, however, he decided to read the entire Weimar edition of fifty volumes, which were brought to him in sequence, two or three at a time.The richness of this life revealing itself over a period of more than sixty years appeared before my gaze in its truly overpowering magnificence, which almost shattered my powers of comprehension – confined, as they had been, to the most immediate and pressing concerns. What a passionate focus on reality in all its forms, what an undying quest to chase down all that is in the world, what strength to affirm life, what ability to take part in it, what vehemence in the way he showed his dedication to it! Of course, too, what ability to limit himself to what was appropriate; what firm control in inhibiting what was purely aimless; what religious respect for the truth of being! I could not overcome my astonishment; and the prisoner entered a world without borders, a world in which the fact of being in prison was of absolutely no significance. But no matter how many astonishing things I saw in these unforgettable weeks of undisturbed inner focus, nothing was more surprising or unexpected than this: to realize how much of what was peculiar to this life occurred in carefully preserved seclusion; how much the seemingly communicative man who carried on a world-wide correspondence still never wanted to expose in words the core of his existence. It was precisely in the seclusion, the limitation, the silence of Goethe that made the strongest impact on Pieper. Here was modern Germany’s quintessential conversationalist intellectual, but the strength of his words came from the restraint behind them, even to the point of purposeful forgetting:The culmination is when the eighty-year-old sees forgetting not as a convulsive refusal to think of things, but as what could almost be termed a physiological process of simple forgetting as a function of life. He praises as “a great gift of the gods” . . . “the ethereal stream of forgetfulness” which he “was always able to value, to use, and to heighten.” However manifold the forms of this silence and of their unconscious roots and conscious motives may have been, is it not always the possibility of hearing, the possibility of a purer perception of reality that is aimed at? And so, is not Goethe’s type of silence above all the silence of one who listens? . . . This listening silence is much deeper than the mere refraining from words and speech in human intercourse. It means a stillness, which, like a breath, has penetrated into the inmost chamber of one’s own soul. It is meant, in the Goethean “maxim,” to “deny myself as much as possible and to take up the object into myself as purely as it is possible to do.” . . . The meaning of being silent is hearing – a hearing in which the simplicity of the receptive gaze at things is like the naturalness, simplicity, and purity of one receiving a confidence, the reality of which is creatura, God’s creation. And insofar as Goethe’s silence is in this sense a hearing silence, to that extent it has the status of the model and paradigm – however much, in individual instances, reservations and criticism are justified. One could remain circumspectly silent about this exemplariness after the heroic nihilism of our age has proclaimed the attitude of the knower to be by no means that of a silent listener but rather as that of self-affirmation over against being: insight and knowledge are naked defiance, the severest endangering of existence in the midst of the superior strength of concrete being. The resistance of knowledge opposes the oppressive superior power. However, that the knower is not a defiant rebel against concrete being, but above all else a listener who stays silent and, on the basis of his silence, a hearer – it is here that Goethe represents what, since Pythagoras, may be considered the silence tradition of the West.Pieper concludes his remarkable find with this summation:When such talk, which one encounters absolutely everywhere in workshops and in the marketplace – and as a constant temptation – , when such deafening talk, literally out to thwart listening, is linked to hopelessness, we have to ask is there not in silence – listening silence – necessarily a shred of hope? For who could listen in silence to the language of things if he did not expect something to come of such awareness of the truth? And, in a newly founded discipline of silence, is there not a chance not merely to overcome the sterility of everyday talk but also to overcome its brother, hopelessness – possibly if only to the extent that we know the true face of this relationship? I know that here quite different forces come into play which are beyond human control, and perhaps the circulus has to be broken through in a different place. However, one may ask: could not the “quick, strict resolution” to remain silent at the same time serve as a kind of training in hope?

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It was supposed to be fun. Six teenagers and their British captain aboard the ketch Crosscurrent Voyager, headed on a senior year summer cruise to excitement and adventure. Then the world as they knew it ended. A plague spread throughout the globe, killing millions and turning the survivors into cannibalistic rage monsters—zombies, in so many words. Only by putting aside their differences were the young crew able to survive. Now, they seek others like them, those fortunate souls who have made it through the zombie apocalypse. After all, maybe it's not the end of the world so long as GPS can help survivors navigate deadly terrain, to link up, and maybe—just maybe—ensure the continuation of the human race. But the Earth’s GPS systems are failing. It falls to those aboard the Crosscurrent Voyager to keep the unthinkable from happening. In order to do so, they must traverse dangerous seas to a European Space Agency complex in French Guiana. And thousands of infected stand in the way. If they succeed, humankind has a chance of rebuiling. If they fail, humanity may well be at the end of its journey. About Charles E. Gannon: “The plot is intriguing and then some. Well-developed and self-consistent; intelligent readers are going to like it.”—Jerry Pournelle "Chuck Gannon writes the kind of science fiction we all grew up on: rousing, mind-expanding, pulse-pounding sagas of spaceships and aliens. He's a terrific writer, and we're lucky to have him."—Robert J. Sawyer "[A] strong [writer of] . . . military SF . . . [much] action going on in his work, with a lot of physics behind it. There is a real sense of the urgency of war and the sacrifices it demands."—Locus About the Black Tide Rising series: “Not only has Ringo found a mostly unexplored corner of the zombie landscape, he's using the zombie frame to tackle a broader theme: the collapse and rebirth of civilization. The zombie scenes are exciting, sure, but its the human story that keeps us involved. A fine series.”—Booklist “Ringo combines humor and horror in this strong series debut, the thinking reader’s zombie novel.”—Publishers Weekly on Under a Graveyard Sky About the work of Charles E. Gannon: Caine's Mutiny: “This is military science fiction the way it’s supposed to be written. . . . All in all, a highly satisfying tale of the Terran Republic that moves the story forward and sets us up for the next chapter, which promises to be interesting at worst and explosive at best.”—SFcrowsnest Raising Caine: “Raising Caine unveils a lot of thought-provoking ideas but ultimately this is a space opera adventure. There are space battles, daring emergency landings, desperate quests, hand-to-hand combat, and double-and-triple crosses. It’s an engrossing read. You owe it to yourself to read the two previous books in order. Then enjoy Raising Caine. It’s an intergalactic thrill-ride.”—Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews “This is science-fiction adventure on a grand scale.”—Kirkus “Gannon’s harrowing . . . military space opera (following Trial by Fire) builds well on his established setting . . . Gannon’s signature attention to developing realistic alien worlds makes this installment satisfying.”—Publishers Weekly “[A]n incredibly active book . . . as our protagonists are confronted by the beautiful, terrible, and sometimes lethal variety of the universe and its inhabitants. . . . a whole mess of fun . . . that manages to be scientifically accurate while refraining from excessive wonkiness. Those who value meticulous world-building . . . will certainly have their needs met.”—BN Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog Nebula-nominated Trial by Fire: “I seriously enjoyed Trial by Fire. This one’s a tidal wave—can’t put it down. An excellent book.”—Jack McDevitt “Gannon's whiz-bang second Tales of the Terran Republic interstellar adventure delivers on the promise of the first (Fire with Fire). . . . The charm of Caine's harrowing adventure lies in Gannon's attention to detail, which keeps the layers of political intrigue and military action from getting too dense. The dozens of key characters, multiple theaters of operations, and various alien cultures all receive the appropriate amount of attention. The satisfying resolution is enhanced by the promise of more excitement to come in this fascinating far-future universe.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “[D]efinitely one to appeal to the adventure fans. Riordan is a smart hero, up against enormous obstacles and surrounded by enemies. Author Gannon does a good job of managing action and tension to keep the story moving, and the details of the worlds Riordan visits are interesting in their own right.”—Analog “[O]ffers the type of hard science-fiction those familiar with the John Campbell era of Analog Science Fiction will remember. Gannon throws his readers into an action-packed adventure. A sequel to Fire With Fire, it is a nonstop tale filled with military science-fiction action.”—The Galveston County Daily News Compton Crook Award winner for best first novel, Fire with Fire: “Chuck Gannon is one of those marvelous finds—someone as comfortable with characters as he is with technology, and equally adept at providing those characters with problems to solve. Imaginative, fun, and not afraid to step on the occasional toe or gore the occasional sacred cow, his stories do not disappoint.”—David Weber “If we meet strong aliens out there, will we suffer the fate of the Aztecs and Incas, or find the agility to survive? Gannon fizzes with ideas about the dangerous politics of first contact.”—David Brin “[T]he intersecting plot threads, action and well-conceived science kept those pages turning.”—SFcrowsnest Starfire series hit Extremis, coauthored by Charles E. Gannon: “Vivid . . . Battle sequences mingle with thought-provoking exegesis . . . ”—Publishers Weekly “It’s a grand, fun series of battles and campaigns, worthy of anything Dale Brown or Larry Bond ever wrote.”—Analog

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During the last months of the war, Josef Pieper saw the realization of a long-cherished plan to escape from the “lethal chaos” that was the Germany of that time, “plucked,” he writes, “as was Habakkuk, by the hair of his head . . . to be planted into a realm of the most peaceful seclusion, whose borders and exists were, of course, controlled by armed sentries.” There he made contact with a friend close-by, who possessed an amazing library, and Pieper hit upon the idea of reading the letters of Goethe from that library. Soon, however, he decided to read the entire Weimar edition of fifty volumes, which were brought to him in sequence, two or three at a time.The richness of this life revealing itself over a period of more than sixty years appeared before my gaze in its truly overpowering magnificence, which almost shattered my powers of comprehension – confined, as they had been, to the most immediate and pressing concerns. What a passionate focus on reality in all its forms, what an undying quest to chase down all that is in the world, what strength to affirm life, what ability to take part in it, what vehemence in the way he showed his dedication to it! Of course, too, what ability to limit himself to what was appropriate; what firm control in inhibiting what was purely aimless; what religious respect for the truth of being! I could not overcome my astonishment; and the prisoner entered a world without borders, a world in which the fact of being in prison was of absolutely no significance. But no matter how many astonishing things I saw in these unforgettable weeks of undisturbed inner focus, nothing was more surprising or unexpected than this: to realize how much of what was peculiar to this life occurred in carefully preserved seclusion; how much the seemingly communicative man who carried on a world-wide correspondence still never wanted to expose in words the core of his existence. It was precisely in the seclusion, the limitation, the silence of Goethe that made the strongest impact on Pieper. Here was modern Germany’s quintessential conversationalist intellectual, but the strength of his words came from the restraint behind them, even to the point of purposeful forgetting:The culmination is when the eighty-year-old sees forgetting not as a convulsive refusal to think of things, but as what could almost be termed a physiological process of simple forgetting as a function of life. He praises as “a great gift of the gods” . . . “the ethereal stream of forgetfulness” which he “was always able to value, to use, and to heighten.” However manifold the forms of this silence and of their unconscious roots and conscious motives may have been, is it not always the possibility of hearing, the possibility of a purer perception of reality that is aimed at? And so, is not Goethe’s type of silence above all the silence of one who listens? . . . This listening silence is much deeper than the mere refraining from words and speech in human intercourse. It means a stillness, which, like a breath, has penetrated into the inmost chamber of one’s own soul. It is meant, in the Goethean “maxim,” to “deny myself as much as possible and to take up the object into myself as purely as it is possible to do.” . . . The meaning of being silent is hearing – a hearing in which the simplicity of the receptive gaze at things is like the naturalness, simplicity, and purity of one receiving a confidence, the reality of which is creatura, God’s creation. And insofar as Goethe’s silence is in this sense a hearing silence, to that extent it has the status of the model and paradigm – however much, in individual instances, reservations and criticism are justified. One could remain circumspectly silent about this exemplariness after the heroic nihilism of our age has proclaimed the attitude of the knower to be by no means that of a silent listener but rather as that of self-affirmation over against being: insight and knowledge are naked defiance, the severest endangering of existence in the midst of the superior strength of concrete being. The resistance of knowledge opposes the oppressive superior power. However, that the knower is not a defiant rebel against concrete being, but above all else a listener who stays silent and, on the basis of his silence, a hearer – it is here that Goethe represents what, since Pythagoras, may be considered the silence tradition of the West.Pieper concludes his remarkable find with this summation:When such talk, which one encounters absolutely everywhere in workshops and in the marketplace – and as a constant temptation – , when such deafening talk, literally out to thwart listening, is linked to hopelessness, we have to ask is there not in silence – listening silence – necessarily a shred of hope? For who could listen in silence to the language of things if he did not expect something to come of such awareness of the truth? And, in a newly founded discipline of silence, is there not a chance not merely to overcome the sterility of everyday talk but also to overcome its brother, hopelessness – possibly if only to the extent that we know the true face of this relationship? I know that here quite different forces come into play which are beyond human control, and perhaps the circulus has to be broken through in a different place. However, one may ask: could not the “quick, strict resolution” to remain silent at the same time serve as a kind of training in hope?

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Teaching is complex. But there are simple ideas we can enact to help our teaching be more effective. This book contains over 400 such ideas.The ideas come from two sources. First, from the wonderful guests on my Tips for Teachers podcast - education heavyweights such as Dylan Wiliam, Daisy Christodoulou and Tom Sherrington, as well as talented teachers who are not household names but have so much wisdom to share. Then there's what I have learned from working with amazing teachers and students in hundreds of schools around the world.Inside you will find 22 ideas to enhance mini-whiteboard use, 15 ideas to improve the start of your lesson, 14 ideas to help make Silent Teacher effective, seven ways to respond if a student says they don't know, and lots, lots more.Each idea can be implemented the very next time you step into a classroom. So, whatever your level of experience, subject or phase, there are plenty of ideas in this book to help take your teaching to the next level.Book contentsChapter 1: How to use this bookTip 1. How to use this book to improve your teachingTip 2. How to give yourself the best chance of making a lasting changeChapter 2: Habits and routines Why are habits and routines important? Tip 3. Eight ideas to help introduce a routineTip 4. Beware of the Valley of Latent PotentialTip 5. Two ideas to help a routine stickTip 6. Develop a set of high-value activity structuresTip 7. Six ideas to help establish positive norms in your classroomTip 8. Four types of words to consider removing from your teaching vocabularyChapter 3: The means of participationA challengeTip 9. Front-load the means of participationTip 10. Ten ideas to improve Cold CallTip 11. Eight reasons to strive for mass participation more frequentlyTip 12. Twenty-two ideas to improve the use of mini-whiteboardsTip 13. Five ideas to improve the use of voting systems Tip 14. Nine ideas to improve Call and ResponseTip 15. Fifteen ideas to improve Partner TalkTip 16. Six ideas to improve group workTip 17. Use the means of participation holy trinityTip 18. Never rely on a mental noteTip 19. The best tool for the long term might not be the best tool for nowChapter 4: Checking for understandingTip 20. Think of questions as a check for misunderstandingTip 21. Use the temptation to ask for self-report as a cue to ask a better questionTip 22. Lengthen wait times after asking a questionTip 23. Lengthen wait times after an answerTip 24. Ten types of questions to ask when checking for understandingTip 25. Try these three frameworks for learner-generated examplesTip 26. Three ways to use diagnostic questions to check for understandingTip 27. Provide scaffolds for verbal responsesTip 28. Six key times to check for understandingTip 29. Ten ideas to improve Exit TicketsTip 30. Pick the student least likely to knowTip 31. Start with whoever got 8 out of 10Tip 32. Ten ideas to help create a culture of errorTip 33. Three ideas to encourage students to ask questionsChapter 5: Responsive teachingTip 34. Trick your students to test if they really understandTip 35. Never round-upTip 36. Six ideas if a student says 'I don't know'Tip 37. What to do when some students understand and some don'tTip 38. What to do when some students still don't understandTip 39. How students can own and record classroom discussionsTip 40. Share students' work with the rest of the classChapter 6: PlanningTip 41. Seven ideas to improve a scheme of workTip 42. Six ideas to help start the planning processTip 43. Plan to do less, but betterTip 44. Ask yourself: 'What are my students likely to be thinking about?'Tip 45. Write out ideal student responsesTip 46. Four ideas to help you plan for and respond to errorsTip 47. Two ideas to help teachers engage in Deep Work Tip 48. Aim to close the loop when sending an emailChapter 7: Prior knowledgeTip 49. Plan relevant prior knowledgeTip 50. Prioritise relevant prior knowledgeTip 51. Assess relevant prior knowledgeTip 52. Respond to prior knowledge assessmentTip 53. Assess relevant prior knowledge for each idea, not for the whole sequenceChapter 8: Explanations, modelling and worked examplesTip 54. Five ideas to show students why what we are learning today mattersTip 55. Use related examples and non-examples to explain technical languageTip 56. Fourteen ideas to improve the explanation of a conceptTip 57. Teach decision making separatelyTip 58. Five ideas to improve our choice of examplesTip 59. Model techniques liveTip 60. Use a teacher worked-examples bookTip 61. Use student worked-examples booksTip 62. Make use of the power of Example-Problem PairsTip 63. Fourteen ideas to improve Silent TeacherTip 64. Use self-explanation prompts to help develop your students' understanding Tip 65. Six ideas to improve 'copy down the worked example'Tip 66. Vary the means of participation for the We DoTip 67. Three errors to avoid with the Your Turn questionsTip 68. Reflect after a worked exampleTip 69. Beware of seductive detailsChapter 9: Student practiceTip 70. Eight ideas to improve student practice timeTip 71. How to harness the hidden power of interleavingTip 72. Consider using Intelligent PracticeTip 73. Consider using 'no-number' questionsTip 74. Nine ideas to help you observe student work with a purposeTip 75. Occasionally let students do work in someone else's bookChapter 10: Memory and retrievalRetrieval opportunitiesTip 76. Show your students the Forgetting CurveTip 77. Show your students the path to high storage and retrieval strengthTip 78. Show your students the limits of working memoryTip 79. Show your students how long-term memory helps thinkingTip 80. Show your students that being familiar with something is not the same as knowing itTip 81. Ensure you provide retrieval opportunities for all contentTip 82. When designing retrieval opportunities, aim for 80%Tip 83. Vary the types of retrieval questions you askTip 84. Consider providing prompts and cues during retrieval opportunitiesTip 85. Get your students to assign confidence scores to their answersTip 86. Make corrections quizzableTip 87. Twenty-one ideas to improve your Low-Stakes QuizzesTip 88. Fifteen ideas to improve the Do NowTip 89. Consider using Trello to help organise the disorganisedChapter 11: Homework, marking and feedbackTip 90. Make homework feed into lessonsTip 91. Eight ideas to improve homeworkTip 92. Two things to check if homework or test scores are a surprise Tip 93. Be careful how you respond to 'silly' mistakesTip 94. Turn feedback into detective workTip 95. Consider recording verbal feedbackTip 96. Twelve ideas to improve whole-class feedbackChapter 12: Improving as a teacherTip 97. Find the expertise within your teamTip 98. Five different people to learn fromTip 99. Revisit education books and podcast episodesTip 100. Four things to consider when trying something newTip 101. Five ideas to help tackle the negativity radioTip 102. Consider slowing down your careerTip 103. Sixteen ideas to improve the delivery of CPD Tip 104. Micro tipsTip 105. If you want more tips...

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