Book Trailer
Book Trailer
Book Trailer
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Journal Highlights
Smithsonian:
--God, government and Roger Williams’ big idea : the separation of church and state
--Evotourism : travel intended to promote awareness of evolution
--An eye for genius : Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse
--Annie Leibovitz : new book and exhibition of American icons
Newsweek:
--The Iron Lady : Margaret Thatcher
--In search of the God particle
Scientific American Mind:
--Want to improve memory? Forget about it! : Learn to erase distractions
--God, government and Roger Williams’ big idea : the separation of church and state
--Evotourism : travel intended to promote awareness of evolution
--An eye for genius : Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse
--Annie Leibovitz : new book and exhibition of American icons
Newsweek:
--The Iron Lady : Margaret Thatcher
--In search of the God particle
Scientific American Mind:
--Want to improve memory? Forget about it! : Learn to erase distractions
Girls with Grit Writing Contest
Groundwood Books is looking for inspiring Girls with Grit stories written by real teens like you! And the grand prize? Not too shabby, Figs. The winning entry will receive:
• A book cover for your story, designed by a Groundwood Books designer
• A specially printed, limited edition of your story and book cover
• Feedback from a Groundwood Books editor
• Your story posted on the Groundwood Books website
Three runners-up will also have their stories featured on the Groundwood Books website!
What do you have to do? Write a story between 1,500 and 3,000 words starring a girl with grit: someone who knows what she believes in and struggles to do the right thing. Submit your entry by February 29th, 2012. Then you get to decide the 20 finalists by voting on your favorite entries. The top 20 most-hearted entries will be reviewed by the Groundwood editorial team.
How to enter:
1. Read the full rules here.
2. Sign up for Figment.com
3. Write an original story, between 1,500 and 3,000 words, about a girl with grit and press “Publish Now”
4. In the details tab, tag your story girlswithgrit
5. Wait the 2 hours it sometimes takes to see your story appear below
[from Figment website http://blog.figment.com/2011/11/01/the-girls-with-grit-contest/ ]
• A book cover for your story, designed by a Groundwood Books designer
• A specially printed, limited edition of your story and book cover
• Feedback from a Groundwood Books editor
• Your story posted on the Groundwood Books website
Three runners-up will also have their stories featured on the Groundwood Books website!
What do you have to do? Write a story between 1,500 and 3,000 words starring a girl with grit: someone who knows what she believes in and struggles to do the right thing. Submit your entry by February 29th, 2012. Then you get to decide the 20 finalists by voting on your favorite entries. The top 20 most-hearted entries will be reviewed by the Groundwood editorial team.
How to enter:
1. Read the full rules here.
2. Sign up for Figment.com
3. Write an original story, between 1,500 and 3,000 words, about a girl with grit and press “Publish Now”
4. In the details tab, tag your story girlswithgrit
5. Wait the 2 hours it sometimes takes to see your story appear below
[from Figment website http://blog.figment.com/2011/11/01/the-girls-with-grit-contest/ ]
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Are you Santa?
Last Saturday, as I wandered through J.C. Penney, I spied the real Santa Claus. Well, he looked like a human-sized version of the old elf. He had white hair, a lovely white beard, and a round belly. After all, no one has ever seen a skinny Santa.
I was not the only person who spotted the gentleman. A little girl, about 6 years old, and her mother approached him.
“My daughter said that the Santa in the mall is cheesy. And his beard is fake. She wants to know if you are the real Santa Claus."
The man smiled down at the girl. “I am,” he answered, “but I have a lot of helpers. Have you been good this year?”
The girl solemnly nodded her head.
“That’s good. You have a merry Christmas.”
I am sure he smiled again. Maybe he winked and nodded. And away he went, strolling through the store, St. Nick in blue jeans and a navy jacket. The girl and her mother melted into the crowd of shoppers.
And I stood in the sweater section, grinning and thinking, “Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus!*”
[*Francis P. Church, New York Sun, Sept. 21, 1897.]
I was not the only person who spotted the gentleman. A little girl, about 6 years old, and her mother approached him.
“My daughter said that the Santa in the mall is cheesy. And his beard is fake. She wants to know if you are the real Santa Claus."
The man smiled down at the girl. “I am,” he answered, “but I have a lot of helpers. Have you been good this year?”
The girl solemnly nodded her head.
“That’s good. You have a merry Christmas.”
I am sure he smiled again. Maybe he winked and nodded. And away he went, strolling through the store, St. Nick in blue jeans and a navy jacket. The girl and her mother melted into the crowd of shoppers.
And I stood in the sweater section, grinning and thinking, “Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus!*”
[*Francis P. Church, New York Sun, Sept. 21, 1897.]
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause
Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's "Sun," and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
[from http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/]
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
[from http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/]
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