In the vast expanse of human thought and contemplation, the pursuit of wisdom stands as a timeless journey that has shaped cultures, driven innovation, and guided the course of human civilization. The quest to illuminate the intricacies of existence, discern profound truths, and share insights has been a cornerstone of intellectual progress. In today’s digital age, platforms like DetectMind.com have emerged as modern beacons of enlightenment, inviting writers, thinkers, and visionaries to contribute their wisdom through paid guest posts. DetectMind.com isn’t just a website—it’s a portal to share your wisdom and insights with the world, leaving an indelible mark on the intellectual landscape. This exploration delves deep into the multifaceted benefits for both writers and readers, the transformative power of illuminating wisdom, and how DetectMind.com serves as a conduit for intellectual growth, fostering connections, and contributing to the ever-evolving tapestry of human understanding.
Unveiling DetectMind.com: A Portal to Intellectual Enlightenment
Detectmind.com transcends the boundaries of a traditional website—it’s a dynamic portal where ideas converge, knowledge is shared, and wisdom is disseminated. As a platform committed to nurturing thoughtful discourse, DetectMind.com provides an interactive space where writers can contribute their ideas, experiences, and insights to a global audience eager to engage with the richness of human knowledge.
The platform’s scope spans a diverse array of subjects, encompassing psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, personal development, mindfulness, creativity, emotional intelligence, and beyond. This inclusivity mirrors the multifaceted nature of human thought and invites contributors to share their wisdom across a spectrum of disciplines.
The Power of Illuminating Wisdom: An Intellectual Odyssey
Participating in DetectMind.com’s paid guest post program isn’t just about sharing—it’s an invitation to embark on an intellectual odyssey that fosters personal growth, elevates discourse, and contributes to the ongoing evolution of human understanding. By sharing your wisdom, you become a torchbearer of insight, an agent of enlightenment, and a steward of intellectual progress.
Nurturing Personal Enrichment: Engaging in DetectMind.com’s paid guest post program nurtures personal enrichment. The act of delving into subjects, articulating insights, and engaging with readers cultivates continuous self-improvement and intellectual maturation.
Catalyzing Intellectual Dialogue: DetectMind.com provides writers a platform to catalyze intellectual dialogue. By presenting thought-provoking concepts, encouraging meaningful discussions, and offering unique perspectives, you contribute to the ongoing exchange of ideas.
Weaving the Fabric of Wisdom: Illuminating wisdom involves weaving your insights into the fabric of human thought. Your contributions contribute to the evolving mosaic of human understanding, shaping how society grapples with complexity, embraces new concepts, and evolves over time.
Access to Illuminating Insights: DetectMind.com serves as a gateway to illuminating insights that challenge conventional thinking, stimulate critical reflection, and ignite intellectual curiosity. Readers gain access to a treasure trove of wisdom that invites contemplation and exploration.
Fostering Intellectual Curiosity: Engaging with guest posts on DetectMind.com fosters intellectual curiosity. The thought-provoking content encourages readers to delve deeper into subjects, question established norms, and foster a lifelong love for learning.
Empowerment through Knowledge: Many guest posts featured on DetectMind.com empower readers with practical knowledge and actionable insights. Readers are equipped with tools to navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and proactively shape their personal and professional journeys.
Cultivating a Community of Visionaries: DetectMind.com’s Role
DetectMind.com is more than just a platform—it evolves into a thriving ecosystem that nurtures a global community of visionaries, thinkers, and seekers of wisdom. The platform plays a pivotal role in shaping the collective narrative of intellectual exploration through several key dimensions:
Fostering Collaborative Discovery:
DetectMind.com serves as a hub where contributors from diverse backgrounds converge. This inclusive environment fosters collaborative discovery, enabling the convergence of perspectives and the exchange of insights that contribute to a holistic understanding of complex topics.
Championing Diversity of Thought:
DetectMind.com encourages writers to champion diversity of thought by exploring unconventional angles, introducing innovative concepts, and challenging established norms. By celebrating a range of viewpoints, the platform enriches discourse and contributes to the vibrant mosaic of human thought.
Facilitating Engaging Conversations:
The platform thrives on interactive conversations between contributors and readers. Through comments, discussions, and shared insights, DetectMind.com fosters engaging dialogues that elevate discourse quality and encourage readers to actively participate in the illumination of wisdom.
Inspiring Positive Transformation:
DetectMind.com recognizes the potential of wisdom to inspire positive change. The platform features articles that not only offer intellectual insights but also motivate readers to apply newfound understanding in their lives, fostering personal growth and societal progress.
Crafting an Enriching Narrative:
DetectMind.com recognizes the value of storytelling in crafting an enriching narrative of wisdom. The platform encourages writers to infuse their articles with compelling narratives, relatable anecdotes, and thought-provoking scenarios. These narratives serve as bridges that connect abstract concepts with real-life experiences, making the journey of intellectual exploration captivating and relatable.
Conclusion: An Invitation to Illuminate
In a world where illuminating wisdom leads to intellectual enrichment and the digital discourse serves as a channel for the dissemination of knowledge, DetectMind.com extends an invitation to writers to contribute to the ongoing narrative. By participating in DetectMind.com’s paid guest post program, you become a beacon of insight, a torch of enlightenment, and a custodian of wisdom in the symphony of human understanding.
As you reflect on the significance of your contributions, remember that your words have the power to enlighten minds, broaden perspectives, and shape the intellectual trajectory of humanity. By embracing DetectMind.com’s paid guest post program, you position yourself as a guide to wisdom, a catalyst for intellectual curiosity, and a luminary in the quest to illuminate the path of human thought.
In a world where illuminating wisdom leads to the dawn of enlightenment, DetectMind.com invites you to contribute to the narrative. Step forward, share your wisdom, and become an integral part of the ongoing journey to illuminate minds and hearts with the brilliance of human insight. Your voice, your perspective, and your wisdom have the potential to ignite intellectual fires and leave an enduring mark on the tapestry of human wisdom.


Scripture for the Day
Of all the agony of this difficult day and the cruel events of Jesus arrest and crucifixion--the lacerations of the scourging, the gouging of the thorns pressed onto Jesus’ head, the desperate, uncomfortable movements of his tormented, dehydrated body as it hangs in the heat of mid-day--of all the physical agony, none of it compares to Jesus’ spiritual desolation in his cry of anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus found his purpose and his strength in the presence of God. He was sustained throughout his ministry by the immediacy of his relationship with the Creator. With the strength of divine intention, Jesus endured the constant need of the suffering people and the ridicule cast upon him by his own. Jesus withstood the questioning, the threats, the torments, the betrayals, the unjust circumstances because through prayer and the power of the Spirit, he felt connected to his Father.
After all he has suffered, he finds himself alone on the cross as if abandoned by the very One who led him to this moment. Alone. Jesus found himself utterly, absolutely, despairingly disconnected. He feels cut off from all that gives life and breath, removed from all that gives purpose and hope. Jesus is separated from the source of his being. On the cross, he plumbs the depths of the human condition, hanging vulnerably in what seems the utter absence of God. He hangs for the benefit of sinners, in place of those who reject God. In that moment of despair, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Is there anyone who has not felt abandoned or at least separated from God at some point in life? In Jesus’ words of despair, we uncover one of the sacred mysteries of the crucifixion. In his terrible anguish and ultimate death, love reigns. We discover on this Good Friday that there is no despair so deep nor evil so overwhelming nor place so far removed from hope that God is not with us. Even as Jesus hangs in torment, the spirit of God will give him the strength to finish his life on earth in willing obedience. He will complete his mission of redemption and reconcile all of us in a forgiveness that is boundless and meant for all.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Let Jesus’ cry remind you that God knows your pain and need. The Divine One suffers with you in your difficulties and takes upon God’s very self the bitterness of your sin and brokenness. And in that cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” remember that there is no place where God cannot meet you--in your suffering, in the darkness of sin. God does not forsake us, but in Jesus welcomes death so that we might live. As the darkness of Jesus’ death looms, even now and ever after, love still reigns.


Why are we embarrassed to share our deepest selves?
Why do we think that sharing what we create is silly and stupid?
I was eleven-years-old the first time I told God I wanted to be a writer, and I’ve pretty much told him that every day since then.
But I am too scared.
And I am embarrassed.
I’m not embarrassed because I think my writing isn’t any good. I think, honestly, maybe I am embarrassed because I know it is good. And it’s embarrassing to think about sharing my creative self with the world because I feel safer feeling like the hidden and timid idiot in the background.
Why the hell do I let those mean voices even have a say in what I do with the words I write? The voices that tell me I should just be quiet because it’s a silly pipe-dream to let my words out — why do I give them so much sway over the words inside me? Why do I let them determine what I share and how far I go?
I have been telling God I want to be a writer every day for 12 years.
But the thought of letting my words out the open is embarrassing.
“Causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress.”
I fell in love with words because of their incredible and complex ability to connect humans with the world around them; to connect us with God and each other in a way that we can feel and express and understand. I fell in love with words because of their way to reach the unreachable and express the inexpressible; their ability to reach us right where we are and give us the satisfying sigh of, “Yes, that’s me.”
I love words because they have a rhythm, a design that is so intrinsically holy.
I love words because In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing has come into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5).
I love words because Jesus is the Word, and the way the that holy and healing Light shines into that darkness I can’t shake… How can your eyes not mist over with reverent awe of adoration?
But I let my insecurity and my pettiness turn the words into something vile, something vain and something causing “self-conscious confusion and distress.”
Why would I let my words wander here?
I love words because they have the capacity to reveal so much of Jesus and yet I choose to let them make me hide who he can be through me.
I want to let my words go.
I imagine — Jesus, the Word, with God in the beginning, through whom all things were created… Embarrassed. Shy. Feeling it would be much safer to hide.
What if God didn’t create?
What if He stopped creating?
The fact that there is creative fire burning inside the veins of his people is proof that God hasn’t finished telling his story.
Are we listening?
Are we listening to the divinic syllables, the holy orchestrations and the Christ-like heartbeats of story unfolding? Are we listening to the creative fibers that make our fingertips tremble and our voices shake?
Are we listening to the story he’s telling, the song he’s singing; seeing the portrait he’s painting?
And like any good story there are different views and characters; it has depth and emotion and rhythm and style and grace; different pieces all rising and falling together like an expansion of breath and maybe, just maybe, what this magnum opus needs is your breath, your beat, your piece and your perspective.
So let your words go.
Stop hiding behind embarrassment; get rid of the pride and let God tell his story through you.
Children of God,
It’s time to let the Word go.
Let it run wild and free through the tips of your fingers and tongue; let it splash from your soul and onto canvas. Let the Light shine through; release it from the fear-soaked corridors and let it dance out into the hallways of your unfolding life. Let his life saturate your world through color, through sound, through dance, beat, anthem; through heartbeat storytelling and soul aching music making.
Let the ultimate Creator create something beautiful inside your hurt, your tears and fears and heartbreaks and failures; let him set his brush to it. Let him sing his song to it.
My darlings, let your words go. Let them go.


Books I Recommend
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
Parenting From the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. & Mary Hartnell, M.Ed.
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adel Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Always My Child: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter by Kevin Jennings
The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D.
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gotten, Ph.D.
Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D.
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
Crisis and Support
Lines and Links
Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Reporting Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation of Child or Adult: 1-800-922-5330
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Helpline (SAMHSA): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Sex Addicts Anonymous:
Find an Al-Anon and Alateen meeting:


Home > Author profile
Mary Toomey, Ph.D., trained as a biologist, botanist, entomologist, and soil ecologist. A keen gardener, she has been growing and studying clematis for more than 30 years. She is currently editor of The Clematis, the journal of the British Clematis Society. She lectures widely on clematis, gardens, and gardening, and has written a number of previous books and articles. Born in Jaffna, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), she now lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Books by Mary Toomey
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis by Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds


This book is written for the busy primary care practitioner who needs a practical clinical guide to sleep disorders and their treatment. Information on the most common pediatric sleep disorders is organized by specific disorder and by the most frequent presenting complaints. The emphasis is on the practical application of diagnostic strategies and treatment options. Symptom-based algorithms will enable the practitioner to evaluate sleep complaints in a stepwise manner. Other features include: symptom checklists for specific disorders, a chapter on sleep and medications, and a chapter on sleep problems in special populations. Appendices provide practical tools the practitioner can use to screen for sleep problems, evaluate sleep studies, and provide information and resources for families.
An accompanying CD-ROM includes printable patient education handouts, a list of resources for families, and several sleep evaluation and screening questionnaires.


It can be hard to find good examples of characters in popular media with ADHD, largely because many times the diagnosis is never directly stated, and it is up to fans to determine which of their favorite characters share their condition. Fortunately, the fans have done their job and vocally shared which famous fictional characters have ADHD, and there are more than you might think.
There are lots of great characters with ADHD in film, television, and literature. These characters are generally some of the most loveable in their respective mediums, providing great representations of how having ADHD is merely a part of who they are, not the entirety. Hopefully, with the success of all these characters, there will soon be more in future, but here’s a list of some of the most famous fictional characters with ADHD that are around today.
Emma Woodhouse— Emma
Emma Woodhouse is the lovable but flawed protagonist of Jane Austen’s novel Emma. The novel has been adapted multiple times, though perhaps its best reincarnation is the 1996 movie of the same name starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
In both versions, Emma is a bit of a busybody—she likes to play matchmaker and meddles in the lives of those around her despite their insistence that she stop. Like those with ADHD in real life, she often misreads the intentions and thoughts of other people, leading to a mess of problems. Despite this, however, it can never be doubted that Emma has a good heart. Though she makes a mess of things, she is just as easily able to fix them and learns about herself in the process.
Scarlett O’Hara—Gone with the Wind
The lead in both an iconic book and an iconic movie, many may overlook that the character of Scarlett O’Hara possesses many qualities of people with ADHD. One of the defining characteristics of Scarlett is her impulsive nature, bringing about many of her interpersonal conflicts. Scarlett is also known for growing bored rather quickly, always on the lookout for stimulation. Scarlett is such a great character because she is so complex, leaving many fans wondering whether they love her or hate her at several points throughout the narrative, kind of like people in real life.
Percy Jackson—Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson is one of the few characters on this list whose diagnosis is very straightforwardly conveyed to the audience. As a young teen, Percy in both the books and movies has always struggled staying still and paying attention because of his ADHD. When he discovers he is a demigod, he is told that his ADHD serves a very specific purpose—battle-ready reflexes and laser-sharp focus when it counts. Percy also has dyslexia, because, as he finds out, his brain is hardwired for ancient Greek.
Percy is a great example of a young character with ADHD who puts his condition to good use. With his sarcastic wit and tendency toward heroics, he is perhaps one of the most loved famous fictional characters with ADHD out there, providing a great role model to young readers. Percy Jackson is special, especially when you think about how Rick Riordan’s own son has ADHD and dyslexia, providing the inspiration for the character.
Juno revolves around teen pregnancy and early motherhood and focuses on the titular character, Juno. Juno is a strong, confident character with ADHD who has wicked-smart dialogue and comebacks. Her impulsivity gets her into trouble throughout the film, but audiences love her for her candor and wit. Juno represents a great example of a character with ADHD who is confident in herself, making her a great example of a famous fictional character with ADHD.
Barney Stinson—How I Met Your Mother
Portrayed by the infallible Neal Patrick Harris, Barney Stinson is one of the most notable and memorable characters in How I Met Your Mother and in recent TV memory. This is due to a combination of Harris’ stellar performance and the wacky nature of the character. Barney is a great example of someone whose attention jumps around and who is often filled with an excited energy, ready to take on New York with whatever antics he has up his sleeve next. While there are a few problematic aspects to his character (notably, the womanizing), there is no arguing that Barney is darn entertaining to watch.
Bart Simpson—The Simpsons
The male child in the long-running adult cartoon The Simpsons, Bart is diagnosed within the show as having ADHD. Bart is a very mischievous character, though this cannot be linked with his ADHD condition, as he is essentially the same character before and after he starts his medication for it. Rather, we should attribute Bart’s ability to think outside the box as the main quality that he takes on from his ADHD that he applies in his everyday life.
Feature image via Understood.org


Dr. Yuleinys A. Castillo, LPC, LPCC, CRC is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical
Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Program at California State University,
Fresno. Dr. Castillo has experience providing mental health counseling, vocational
services, transition assistance, and assessments to diverse individuals in public
and private settings. A passionate advocate of equity and social justice, her research
activities focus on the experience of individuals from a minoritized background in
higher education and employment. Dr. Castillo has published her scholarship work in
different journals and has presented at the regional, national and international levels.
She is a License Professional Counselor (TX) and a Licensed Professional Clinical
Counselor (CA) with experience working with individuals with diverse backgrounds and
Most recent scholarly work:
Castillo, Y. A., Rinehart, K., Fischer, J., & Weber, W. (2021). Strategies and barriers to work behavior
changes: Perceptions of prevocational rehabilitation professionals. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 53 (3), 1–18.
Maniss, S. & Castillo, Y.A., Cartwright, J. & Yznaga, S. (2021). Crisis counseling
self-efficacy: Personal abilities and situational influences. Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice, 7(2). https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/jhstrp/vol7/iss2/4
Castillo, Y.A., & Larson, A. (2020). Attitudes towards people with disabilities:Systematic review
of intervention effectiveness. COUNS-EDU: The International Journal of Counseling and Education, 5(2).


Desiring God has a wealth of resources available, including many books, available HERE. The great majority are by John Piper, but some are by other authors and editors. Most of the books are available as free ebooks in multiple formats, including PDF. The others are available for purchase (some have samples available as PDFs). All the PDFs available are printable (in other words, printing is not disabled). Here is just a small selection of the books available as free ebooks. Under each title is the link to the page where you can read more about the book, and download the ebook. Unless otherwise stated, the books are by John Piper. You can find out more about Desiring God HERE.
Designed for Joy: How the Gospel Impacts Men and Women, Identity and Practice edited by Jonathan Parnell and Owen Strachan.
Don’t Waste Your Life (A Study Guide is also available from the download menu for this book.)
For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper edited by Sam Storms and Justin Taylor.
Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus Through the Spiritual Disciplines by David Mathis. A Study Guide is available HERE.
The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C. S. Lewis edited by John Piper and David Mathis.
Still Not Professionals: Ten Pleas for Today’s Pastors with contributions by John Piper, Daniel L. Akin, Thabiti Anyabwile, Mike Bullmore, Sam Crabtree, Raymond C. Ortlund, R. C. Sproul, Jeff Vanderstelt, and Douglas Wilson.


JODY FRENCH- AUTHOR
Welcome to my site! I'm a small town girl who loves to write stories for young people. My first book, Red Dirt Rocker is currently available on Amazon.com, and my second book, ROCK ANGEL, is due to be released on October 17th, 2019. Rock Angel can be ordered at www.amazon.com, www.target.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.ebay.com. Rock Angel can also be purchased from www.waterstones.com in the UK!
I'm grateful to all of my reader friends who have been gracious enough to read what comes from my heart.
Order your copy of RED DIRT ROCKER and ROCK ANGEL
Click on~BOOKS~to order
"RED DIRT ROCKER" --Inspired by Forrest French, former lead singer/guitarist for teen rock band, EMI-Capital Recording Artists, CROOKED X ~~~~~
FORREST AND I WITH OUR FAVORITE SINGER/SONGWRITER, CHRIS STAPLETON
FORREST WITH THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS AS WRITTEN ABOUT IN
RED DIRT ROCKER--
FORREST HOPING SOME OF THE "COOL" RUBS OF ON HIM---HE AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON HANGING OUT AT THE VIDEO GAME AWARDS IN LAS VEGAS ~~2009
FORREST WITH MISS TAYLOR SWIFT BACK IN THE DAY
(He said she was sooo beautiful and had the face of a china doll)
For you Skid Row fans--Snake Sabo with us at one of Forrest's concerts in Tulsa! Donnie Frizzell is on the left~ Fun night!
FORREST SINGING ON STAGE WITH BRETT MICHAELS AT ROCKLAHOMA!
--"AINT NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME!!"
Well, my beautiful reader friends, today I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that my book, Rock Angel, is available for purchase!! https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Angel-Jody-French/dp/1684333555/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=rock+angel&qid=1582059609&sr=8-3


Welcome from Mrs. Schratz!
“I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun- not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.” -C.S.Lewis Oh, hey! I’m Mrs. Schratz and learning is an absolute passion of mine; we are each called to increase from less to more by design. I earned my BA in Education and Communications from Seton Hill University and I am currently enrolled for my MA in Theology at Franciscan University. The freshman English and sophomore Religion courses are designed to support and encourage students to more fully understand the world around them, and ultimately to discover God’s perfect & unique purpose for their lives through the lens of classic writing and the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. I look forward to sharing my love of literature and the joy of Jesus with you!


Little Folk Nursery Rhymes classes are packed full of nursery rhyme fun for babes-in-arms and upwards.
Led by Cat Bateman and her guitar, each 45-minute session uses fun props and puppets to get your little ones involved and includes the much-loved older rhymes and some upbeat, newer ones too.
Babies will learn while they listen, toddlers will learn while they sing, and parents tell us they enjoy these groups as much as their little ones!
Search for your nearest Little Folk Nursery Rhymes class here and book a place using your Little Starts Gift Card.
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An examination of methods of structured inquiry into personal dream experience, illustrated by the heuristic research that led to the development of Judy Pascoe’s “Drawing from the Night” workshop. (See DRI News for the dates of future workshops.)
Judy Pascoe, MA, Dip. Psychotherapy, is a writer and psychotherapist in London. She has a Diploma and MA in Transpersonal Psychotherapy (CCPE) and practices in London as a psychotherapist with a particular interest in using dreams and art to aid in psychological transformation.


The pinnacle of romance is often realized in the seamless orchestration of a couple’s most significant day their wedding. In the grand tapestry of love, where emotions interlace with dreams, a wedding planner emerges as the maestro, skillfully conducting the symphony of vows and celebrations. Scaling heights with a wedding planner transcends the mundane; it transforms an event into a timeless narrative, etching the love story into the hearts of all who witness it. Picture a couple standing at the threshold of their journey together, gazing at the vast horizon of possibilities. This is where the wedding planner steps in, a guide in crafting the ascent to the pinnacle of their shared life. The planner, armed with creativity and precision, begins by understanding the nuances of the couple’s love story – the delicate brushstrokes that define their connection.
Every detail becomes a note in the melody, from the choice of venue that whispers of their shared adventures to the color palette that resonates with the cadence of their emotions. As the couple ascends the heights of romance, the wedding planner unfurls a panorama of possibilities. Each decision, from the ethereal floral arrangements to the delectable symphony of flavors on the menu, is curated to elevate the celebration along Events by Natasha, wedding planner and co-ordinator. The planner becomes a conduit between the couple’s dreams and the reality of their special day, ensuring that every moment is an echo of their love, resonating through time. The collaboration with a wedding planner is akin to embarking on a thrilling ascent with a seasoned guide. The planner’s expertise becomes the compass, navigating through the intricate landscape of wedding logistics. From coordinating vendors to orchestrating timelines, the planner scales the peaks of organization with finesse, allowing the couple to focus on the pure joy of the journey.
The pinnacle of romance is not merely reached; it is crafted, sculpted by the hands of a skillful artisan – the wedding planner. The planner transforms the couple’s vision into a breathtaking reality, creating a tapestry of memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. It is in the twinkle of fairy lights, the gentle rustle of the bride’s gown, and the heartfelt speeches that echo through the venue. Each element contributes to the crescendo of emotions, lifting the celebration to unparalleled heights. In the end, the wedding planner becomes the silent architect of a love story’s climax, where the couple, hand in hand, stands at the zenith of their romance. The pinnacle is not just an elevation; it is an experience crafted with love, passion, and the meticulous touch of a wedding planner who has scaled the heights of romance countless times before.


One week into my first summer sales experience I sprained my ankle. Three days later I tried crutches. One week later I was making no money and hobbling around in pain all day. All positive thinking and pick me ups had failed. Even calling my Mom did not work as it usually does.
On the day it all came crashing down and I found myself slumped against a concrete wall head hanging. My ankle was throbbing, I couldn’t walk and couldn’t sell. My hopes of financial freedom had been taken from me. It seemed like I sat for hours. As the sun sank, my spirits already at an all-time low, did as well. The faint glow of the half-broken street light was all that kept me from sinking back into the evening shadows. I felt numb, empty, I couldn’t even dredge up the emotion to feel sorry for myself. I composed a silent prayer and tossed it aloft pleading for some kind of deliverance.
In this woeful state a man approached me. I had seen him earlier standing in his open garage shirt off cigarette dangling precariously from his lip. He seemed almost embarrassed as he spoke, telling me in a few short words of his own sales experience years earlier. Then he handed me a sandwich and a bag of chips and walked away.
In that moment my body couldn’t decide what emotion it was feeling. Sorrow, joy, comfort and a deep overwhelming sense of gratitude swept through me.
As I bit into the sandwich my tears dotted the sidewalk.
I did not know this man and likely would never see him again, but I silently thanked God for sending one of his angels.


The editors of Septuaginta: A Reader’s Edition are Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross.
Gregory R. Lanier
(Ph.D., University of Cambridge) Greg is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Dean of Students at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando; he also serves as Associate Pastor at River Oaks Church. He specializes in early Christology, the Synoptic Gospels, textual criticism, and the Greek OT. His publications include Old Testament Conceptual Metaphors and the Christology of Luke’s Gospel (LNTS 591; T&T Clark, 2018), How We Got the Bible: Old and New Testament Canon and Text (Christian Focus, forthcoming), and several articles published in the Journal of Biblical Literature, TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism, New Testament Studies, Journal of Theological Studies, Currents of Biblical Research, Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Biblica, and the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He lives in Orlando with his wife and three daughters, and maintains a blog at glanier.wordpress.com.
William A. Ross
(Ph.D. candidate, University of Cambridge) Will is a Cambridge Trust Scholar completing a dissertation related to Septuagint lexicography and language change in the transmission of LXX-Judges. He is a member of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) and chair of the Septuagint Studies consultation at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). His research focuses on Septuagint, Old Testament textual history, and linguistics and biblical lexicography. William has published An Interpretive Lexicon of New Testament Greek (Zondervan 2014), and is co-editing a forthcoming handbook on the Septuagint (T&T Clark, target 2019). He has also contributed to several edited volumes related to Septuagint scholarship, has published articles in Biblica, Novum Testamentum, and Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, and is a contributor to the ongoing Historical and Theological Lexicon of the Septuagint (Mohr Siebeck). He lives in Cambridge with his wife and three sons, and maintains a blog at williamaross.com.
We would also like to thank the excellent team at Hendrickson Publishers, especially Jonathan Kline (Ph.D. Harvard), Phil Frank, and Tirzah Frank. It has been a joy to work with them on this complex project, and we cannot commend them highly enough for their sustained energy and attention to detail!


Did you know that when Dr. Seuss started to write ‘The Cat in the Hat,’ he felt overwhelmed by the constraints set by the publisher? The limitations that they imposed were challenging, to say the least. The story could only have a maximum of 200 words, and the publisher included a list of only 350 different words that could be used. Crucially, the story needed to be engaging and lively for children learning to read. Nonetheless, Dr. Seuss managed to overcome these restraints to create ‘The Cat in the Hat,’ a classic, childhood-favourite book that has sold over 16 million copies.
Photo Credit: Daniel X. O’Neil via Flickr
Often, we see constraints as hurdles to great creativity. We perceive them as obstacles that will impede us from creating something that otherwise could be better. In most instances, constraints are related to circumstance or context. They can include deadlines, tangible aspects that make a task physically impossible, or rules that need to be accepted. Constraints can also be self-created or appear in the form of mental roadblocks. Like when we tell ourselves that it’s the constraints that are limiting the depth and breadth of an idea. Or, that constraints create too much compromise and take away from the quality of the final result. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter where constraints come from. What’s more important is understanding how to work with and through them to minimise their disadvantages.
When working through a challenge, there is a tendency to amplify constraints by focusing on them first. This can make them sound worse than they are. In many instances, constraints aren’t the enemy. On the contrary, research has found that they can boost creativity and problem-solving. They can help guide, innovate, and even inspire creative thinking.
Often though, we get stuck at the beginning of the creative process when constraints overwhelm everything else, as we focus more on what we can’t do, instead of what we can do. This is because barriers (aka constraints) have been clearly identified and articulated, whereas a solution remains unknown. Over time we start to see creative sparks fly, and we begin to think about ways to work around constraints or solutions to work through them. We connect our ideas in different ways (often by asking ourselves ‘what if’) and reframe the situation. This leads to new possibilities, and our focus moves to the core challenge. Yet the process of working through constraints is not easy. Time is spent chasing multiple ideas as they evolve, and then frequently having to let go of them or move in a different direction because they don’t completely work or solve the problem. But, when an optimal solution appears, discomfort turns to satisfaction or even joy! The constraints are harnessed, and the project can move forward.
To wrangle constraints, you need to get comfortable dealing with them. The best way to achieve this is through practice. Here are three exercises to get you started:
The 6-word story. Try to come up with a story that’s only six words long. If you want to make it easier, start with eight words, before trying six. For example, ‘The waves fought with each other.’
Without using directional words (right, left, north, up, down, etc.), explain to someone or write instructions for how to get from your kitchen to your letterbox.
The next time you eat a meal, try swapping the hands you typically use for your knife and fork.
By completing these activities (and others like them), you rehearse how to engage with constraints and become desensitised to the discomfort surrounding them. You also begin to use your energy to reframe a challenge to expose yourself to possibilities that were not initially obvious.
Like Dr. Seuss, all of us encounter constraints in the workplace and our daily lives. My top tips for working through them include:
- Be calm. Don’t let the stress (or fear) associated with a constraint take over your thinking. If you are focusing too much on the constraint, step away and do something else. Come back when you can balance the constraint in proportion to the challenge.
- Be open when free-thinking about solutions and workarounds. Don’t discount ideas straight away; instead, park them and let them simmer in the background. What might happen is that you’ll get another great idea and are then able to combine your thoughts into an optimal solution that accounts for the constraint without overemphasising its weight.
- Ask questions. Questions are tools for collecting information and reframing situations. It helps even if you are only asking questions to yourself. Write both your questions and your answers down (ideally, using pen and paper!)—the connection between your brain and hands when writing often brings clarifying insight.
Remember, constraints aren’t always bad and could lead to work that positively influences the world—just like ‘The Cat in the Hat’ did for millions of children learning to read. However, like Dr. Seuss, know when to ignore a constraint if doing so could create an even better result. In the end, ‘The Cat in the Hat’ had 236 words, instead of the originally allotted 200. Bravo, Dr. Seuss!


In honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrating their 80th season, Sport Illustrated has released a commemorative book titled Pittsburgh Steelers: Pride in Black and Gold, and wow, what a book it is. Every Steelers fan out there, from die hard to bandwagon, should get themselves a copy of this book.
From the minute you open the cover and see the image of Mean Joe Green's helmet up close, scratched, battered, and worn, you know you are about to get a glimpse into what Pittsburgh Steelers football is all about. From images of Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Franco Harris on the sidelines to images of todays modern day Steelers such as Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers: Pride in Black and Gold has it all covered.
Tim Layden took on the challenge of writing the introduction to a book about a team that needs no introduction. In a few short pages, covered in pictures of the Rooneys and the coaches that led the great Steelers teams to Super Bowl Championships, Layden captured the title of his introduction perfectly: The Heart of The City. He explained how the Steelers grabbed that distinction, and also told how they have managed to keep it alive and well right up to this very second.
No book about the Pittsburgh Steelers would be complete without a section on the famous Terrible Towel. What makes it even better and makes it hit home for us Pittsburghers its that its told in the words of the great Myron Cope. They are excerpted from an issue of Sports Illustrated originally published on July 30, 1979 and tell the story of how the Terrible Towel came to be a universal symbol for Pittsburgh Steelers Football. While reading Myron's story you are treated to images of the Terrible Towel being displayed in unique and entertaining locations including wrapped around every newborn delivered at Pittsburghs Magee-Womens Hospital, and being waved out the windows of an airplane landing in Dallas Texas during Super Bowl XLV.
Over the next 80-ish pages some of the greatest players in Steelers history are rewarded with a page dedicated to just them (and more great images) and what they have achieved in Pittsburgh. Many of these players are well known even among the youngest Steelers fans, and yet some are names that to the regular fan mean nothing. Only the die hard fans will recognize those players that were Steelers before the 70's, guys like Bobby Lane who is better known for leaving a curse on the Detroit Lions after they sent him packing to Pittsburgh.
Finally the remainder of the book is dedicated to, you guessed it, the six Super Bowl Championships the Steelers possess. Each Super Bowl is given several pages dedicated to fantastic photography and the amazing story of the game. There are also several more excerpts from past issues of Sports Illustrated that help to let the readers know what things were like at the moment of each of those victories.
The many Writers and Photographers that contributed to this book managed to make the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers jump right out of the pages and pull you back in with them. Each and every section was accompanied by images that show you exactly what the authors are describing. Many of todays young Steelers fans will get a deeper appreciation for the rich tradition that was founded long before their time, as well as a history lesson about the all time great people that have built a team that was so correctly described as "The Heart of The City". As the younger generations receive their history lesson, the older generations that witnessed the days of the "Steel Curtain" will be taken back to their own memories of the teams they have seen win six Super Bowls.
If you haven't already made up your mind to add this book to your Pittsburgh Steelers collection then let me just add this one last statement, this book just vaulted itself to being one of the best pieces in my extensive collection and will easily be passed down to future generations of Steelers fans ensuring that the history and tradition will live on forever.


In an interview, the writer Widad Nabi speaks about what Berlin means to her.
A city, it has no interest in your identity.
Berlin does not care about your nationality, skin color, religion or ideological convictions.
It says to its inhabitants: ‘Be as you are and as you love.’
Berlin has free spaces. The person inside can be isolated in their house and not meet anyone.
People can watch, dance and sing in the street with friends until the morning.
And I do everything like Berliners.
“A city, it has no interest in your identity.
Berlin doesn’t care about your nationality, skin color, religion or ideological conviction.
It says to its inhabitants: ‘Be as you are and how you love.’
Berlin has open spaces. People can be isolated in their houses and not meet anybody.
People can watch, dance, and sing with their friends on the street until the morning.
And I do everything like the Berliners do.”
Widad Nabi was born in Kobani and now lives in Berlin. The Syrian-Kurdish writer studied economics in Aleppo. She published numerous texts in newspapers and magazines. In Germany, she has published in the Berliner Zeitung, SPON and Kursbuch, among others. Her first book in German was published in 2019 and in 2018 she received the first “Weiterschreiben-Stipendium Wiesbaden”.
In her texts Widad Nabi deals with the loss of familiar places, people and languages, but also with her arrival in the new city of Berlin. Her poems, which are published in the “Weiterschreiben”, can also be listened to there.
In a written interview with We Refugees Archive in July 2020, Widad Nabi answered questions about her life in Berlin, her memories and hopes.


The Riddler's Gift by Greg Hamerton
Book 1 of the Tales Of The Lifesong series
About The Riddler's Gift:
In a time when the world was ravaged by chaos, one kingdom remains; ordered, isolated, protected. Then Tabitha Serannon awakens an ancient power and the world begins to change.Source: Info in the About The Riddler's Gift was taken from the author's website at http://greghamerton.com/lifesong/the-riddlers-gift/ on 04/09/2010.
She is hunted for her talent. The Shadowcasters whisper in her ears as their evil closes around her. Soon the Riddler walks beside her, but is he on her side?
She has a moment to learn the magic before she loses her grasp of the Lifesong, but the path she must follow leads into Darkness; into terror, treachery and desire.
To survive she must give voice to a music that she hardly understands, an enchantment that will echo through all time.
Genre: urban fantasy
Janet Begay is a Stormwalker--one who can channel the power of storms to work great magic. The desert town of Magellan is no stranger to the weird--vortexes that hold mystical energy lie just outside of town, and the residents are used to shape shifters, witches, shamans, and the occasional blood-sucking Nightwalker. Janet comes to Magellan to find a missing woman and confront her past, and she discovers secrets, lies, and hidden dangers. She'll need all the help she can get: from Mick, the mysterious fire-wielder who springs back into her life; from Coyote, a trickster god; from Jamison, her Changer friend; and from Nash, the Unbeliever sheriff who may be more powerful than all of them combined.Source: Info in the above synopsis was taken from the author's website at http://allysonjames.com/ on 10/10/10.
Firewalker by Allyson James
Book 2 of the Walker series.
Genre: urban fantasy
When Mick goes missing, it's up to Janet to find him and figure out how to keep him safe from persecution by his own people. She'll need a little help from her friends, old and new: Nash and Coyote; Cassandra, a wicked Wicca; and a few strange beings who are stirring things up in Magellan.Source: Info in the above synopsis was taken from the author's website at http://allysonjames.com/ on 10/10/10.
A Kiss Before The Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Book 1 of the Remy Chandler series
About A Kiss Before The Apocalypse:
"The most inventive novel you'll buy this year." - Christopher GoldenSource: Info in the About A Kiss Before The Apocalypse was taken from the author's website at http://www.sniegoski.com/apocalypse/apocalypse.html on 24/08/2010.
Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts.
Unusual, to say the least - for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man - he's an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He's found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he's good at - and love.
Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past. The Angel of Death has gone missing - and Remy's former colleagues have come to him for help. But what at first seems to be about tracing a missing person turns out to involve much more - a conspiracy that has as its goal the destruction of the human race.
And only Remy Chandler, formerly known as the angel Remiel, can stop it.
Dancing On The Head Of A Pin by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Book 2 of the Remy Chandler series
About Dancing On The Head Of A Pin:
Still mourning the loss of his wife, fallen angel Remy Chandler has immersed himself in investigating dangerous supernatural cases. His latest: the theft of a cache of ancient weaponry stolen from a collector who deals in antiquities of a dark and dubious nature. The weapons, Remy knows, were forged eons ago and imbued with unimaginable power. And if they fall into the wrong hands, they could be used to destroy not only Heaven but also Earth.Source: Info in the About Dancing On The Head Of A Pinwas taken from the author's website at http://www.sniegoski.com/apocalypse/pin.html on 05/09/2010.
Where Angels Fear To Tread by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Book 3 of the Remy Chandler series
About Where Angels Fear To Tread:
Six-year-old Zoe York has been taken and her mother has come to Remy for help. She shows him crude, childlike drawings that she claims are Zoe's visions of the future, everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Like the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her - a man who is an angel.Source: Info in the About Where Angels Fear To Treadwas taken from the author's website at http://www.sniegoski.com/apocalypse/tread.html on 05/09/2010.
Zoe's preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power to their own destructive ends. The search will take Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils - and his soul may pay the price...


My thoughts surrounding the parable of the prodigal son always revolve around the relationships between the people in the story. So I would rename it the relationship parable. Because the relationships are so varied and because they change during the course of the story, I believe most everyone who reads it can identify with one or more of the characters depicted. We've all been the brash young son, the equitable father, the humbled young son, the worried grieving father, the compassionate forgiving father, the rejoicing father, the loyal older son, the cynical dissatisfied older son, the peacemaking father - and if not, we have certainly been close bystanders to these very relationship dynamics. I think this is why the story of the prodigal son always been popularly depicted in art and remains a favorite text for preaching and study.
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Ruby Hamad is an author and academic with a journalism background. She is in the second half of a PhD in media studies at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Her best-selling debut book WHITE TEARS/BROWN SCARS traces the role that White Womanhood and feminism have played in the development of Western power structures. The non-fiction book was inspired by her viral 2018 essay 'How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Silence Women of Colour', which was published in Guardian Australia and became a global flashpoint for discussions of race and gender.
Ruby spent five years as a columnist for Fairfax media's flagship feminist portal Daily Life. Her columns, analysis, literary reviews and essays have also featured in Australian publications The Saturday Paper, Meanjin, Crikey and Eureka St, and internationally in The Guardian, Prospect Magazine, The New York Times, and Gen Medium.


Tiffany Jenkins is a writer, author and broadcaster. Her book Keeping Their Marbles: How Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums and Why They Should Stay There (OUP) was described in the Sunday Times as ‘an outstanding achievement, clear-headed, wide-ranging and incisive.‘ She is writing a book for Picador provisionally titled, The Rise and Fall of Private Life.
Tiffany hosts the Behind the Scenes at the Museum podcast. Listen to the episode on censorship and self-censorship. She presented the BBC Radio 4 series A Narrative History of Secrecy, & Contracts of Silence on NDA. She is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, a former visiting fellow at the LSE, and holds a PhD in sociology. She is author of Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections: The Crisis of Cultural Authority, and editor of Political Culture: Soft Interventions and Nation Building.
Contact her via her agent, Toby Mundy.
Photo: Chris Close.


Why BEA makes a difference
BEA gives you a new way of using the literature to advance your work.
- No longer do you need to specify your search parameters exactly.
- No longer do you need to shift through long lists of paper titles to find the ones you want.
With BEA you search graphs of relationships between concepts of interest such as genes, diseases, compounds and cell types to obtain an overview of the knowledge that is captured in scientific literature (MEDLINE) and patent databases (USPTO). It is then one easy step to drill down to the underlying literature and explore these relationships in depth.
Search, understand, discover, capture, organize and share knowledge in a single, easy to use environment.


Blue Lock, the intense soccer manga penned by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and illustrated by Nomura Yusuke, has been an exhilarating ride for fans since its inception. With Chapter 215 marking another pivotal moment in the series, blue lock 215 let’s delve into the latest installment and explore the gripping developments.
Throughout the series, Blue Lock has masterfully built tension, pitting talented young soccer players against each other in a high-stakes battle to determine Japan’s ultimate striker.
The Climactic Showdown:
With everything on the line, the players unleash their full potential, showcasing their individual skills and unique playstyles.
Nomura Yusuke’s dynamic artwork brings each moment to life, drawing readers into the heart of the action.
Chapter 215 delves deeper into these dynamics, exploring the personal struggles blue lock 215 and growth of the players as they strive to outshine their rivals and prove themselves worthy of the title of Japan’s top striker.
Themes of Teamwork and Individuality:
Chapter 215 grapples with these themes as the players navigate the blue lock 215 complexities of competition, grappling with their desire to stand out while also recognizing the importance of working together towards a common goal.
As the series hurtles towards its conclusion, readers can’t help but be captivated by the intense drama unfolding on the pages.


This week is national Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. In recognition of Banned Books Week, we wanted to share the thinking behind the building of the Abrome library.
Abrome holds the radical belief that young people should be free to learn what they want to learn when they want to learn it, so long as it does not interfere with or harm anyone else. That learning happens best when Learners have full agency over their education. That dialectical learning greatly enhances one’s education. And that Learners should have access to resources that challenge their beliefs and assumptions.
We do not have classes or curriculum at Abrome, and we do not lecture Learners in order to instill certain values or beliefs. Instead, we give Learners the time and space to engage in learning that is meaningful to them. We focus on creating a culture where intellectual vitality thrives. We encourage Abrome Learners to challenge themselves by seeking critical feedback from their peers, reaching out to people with alternative opinions, and tapping the nearly endless stream of information available over the internet. And while we encourage tapping the resources that are now available due to the increased accessibility of information and connectivity of society, there is still something special about finding a nice, warm, comfortable spot where one can lose themself in a book.
Although we are a new school, we take a lot of pride in our library. In part to promote a love of literature, we have 700 books conveniently spread across multiple bookshelves throughout our space. To promote intellectual vitality and dialectical inquiry, we filled our shelves with challenging books in terms of prose, content, and message. We chose books that were highly relevant in terms of cultural literacy, that are of great historical significance, that promote ideas both virtuous and reprehensible, and that may not otherwise be accessible to Learners at traditional school or public libraries.
Our books generally fall into a few categories that traditional school libraries also have, and a few that they do not have. Among the categories that our library shares with traditional school libraries are a wide range of children’s literature, classic literature, biographies, domain specific (e.g., mathematics, physics) books, and reference books. Even within these categories, we hold titles that have often been challenged or banned by more traditional school libraries.
Outside of these shared categories, Abrome carries books that are not generally embraced by traditional school libraries. The reasons for their exclusion most often revolve around perceptions of morality, particularly as they relate to or intersect with politics, race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, drugs, or violence.
While 700 does not make for a particularly large library, we are proud of the fact that a good number of these books have been banned in the past. In fact, our library includes every book that has been banned or challenged that the Library of Congress included in their exhibit, “Books that Shaped America” (which includes Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, ironically).
We do not push any of these books on Abrome Learners; we allow them to sit on the shelves waiting to be found. If a Learner stumbles across one and dives in, we are ready to share in their learning, to make suggestions on other books and resources that may be worth seeking out (especially those with alternative viewpoints), and to talk with them about where they can take their learning next.
A selection of the books in the Abrome library that some have considered too controversial for young people, or that have been banned or challenged include:
· The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
· The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley
· Beloved, Toni Morrison
· Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Susan Kuklin
· Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown
· The Call of the Wild, Jack London
· The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
· The Color Purple, Alice Walker
· The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx
· The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
· Howl, Allen Ginsberg
· The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
· Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
· The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
· Lolita, Vladmir Nabokov
· Mein Kampf, Adolph Hitler
· The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
· Our Bodies, Ourselves, Boston Women’s Health Book Collective
· The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
· Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
· Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong
· Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky
· To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
· Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
· Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
· The Words of Cesar Chavez, Cesar Chavez


Just saw the first online review of the book on Goodreads.com. This guy, Michael, apparently snuck past the top secret security of Beacon Press and snatched a copy, because he read it before the book was published! (Or, more likely, he got his hands on an early uncorrected proof…)
Here are Michael’s comments:
Those who enjoyed H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights will enjoy this book for the same reasons. In it, the author follows a high school sports team, the sport of choice being soccer instead of football. He chronicles the ambition, stuggles, foibles, triumphs of the players and coaches, revealing what part sports play in the lives of young people. While this book lacks the character depth and hard-hitting cultural relevance that Bissinger’s conveys, it does make these boys’ lives meaningful to the reader, which is what, I think, the book intends to accomplish. I recommend it to anyone interested in sports, high schoolers, and Hispanic issues.


Still searching for that perfect gift for the business book-lover on your holiday shopping list? Or perhaps you’re looking for an inspiring book to add to your winter reading list.
Look no further! THE VALUE OF A PROMISE CONSISTENTLY KEPT is an essential read for anyone overseeing (or interested in learning more about) brand management – and what it REALLY means to manage your organization’s brand as an asset.
No dull, dry textbook here. The Value of a Promise Consistently Kept is 170 pages of insightful, practical (and at times witty) inspiration for managing your brand as an asset.
In this book, Kincaid shares the concepts behind the business system and the tools that C-suite executives can use to create value from their brands. Along the way, he describes the path that led him to his current role as a globally recognized brand builder.
But don’t just take our work for it… here’s what brand leaders are saying about the book:
“With this book, we get to learn from the victories, mistakes and revelations of an executive who made brand-building a mission, and who successfully motivated entire organizations to share in it.”
– Mike Rapino, CEO & President, Live Nation
“His insights and advice, drawn from broad and diverse experience, are invaluable to business leaders committed to maximizing enterprise value.”
– Susan Helstab, Executive VP, Marketing Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
If you order by December 15, you will receive your book on or before December 22.
All orders placed by December 15th will receive a free copy of Level5’s special release book: Brand Forward, Brand Back
Order your copy of The Value of a Promise Consistently Kept today: https://www.thevalueofapromise.ca/
By: David Kincaid


Testing is available for referrals that meet the laboratory’s acceptance criteria, with a tiered testing approach dependent upon the referral details and patient’s obstetric history.
Referrals are accepted for:
- Pregnancy loss or termination with significant fetal malformations (irrespective of gestation).
- Pregnancy loss >24 weeks.
Also, in line with the published guidelines of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG):
- Miscarriages (<24 weeks) for 3rd and subsequent miscarriages.
In compliance with RCOG guidelines the laboratory does not routinely accept referrals for parental karyotyping for couples experiencing recurrent miscarriages.
Full details of our referral acceptance policy and the available tests are summarised in our solid tissue service guide.


Elfie joined our family in the mid 1960's. Our entire neighborhood shared fun as Elfie arrived around Thanksgiving time and stayed through Christmas. His job was to help Santa get his list ready and to be a gentle reminder to kids to help them make the Nice list. Elfie was and still is an integral part of our Christmas traditions and family celebrations.
We had so much fun with him we decided to write a storybook about ELFIE and share the fun with other families. We published Hooray For Elfie in 1976. The book was distributed mostly through fund raising organizations. The most active was the U.S. Jaycee organization who sold over 250,000 copies of Hooray For Elfie.
Over the years Hooray For Elfie participated in fund raising events, fairs, story times at local libraries, church events and school book fairs. Elfie has travelled the world packed in shoeboxes with Operation Christmas Child, brought sparkle to the eyes of the elderly in nursing homes, brought joy to military families at Santa Breakfasts and could be found in GodPacks given to local homeless families.
Elfie's first website, a Christmas Tradition, went live in 2000. Elfie would arrive sometime around Thanksgiving and return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Today, ELFIE spreads cheer all year long. He exemplifies LOVE and Affordable, Simple, Family Fun. He still comes at Christmas time, but any time a family wants to celebrate, congratulate, or just have a day of hide and seek with ELFIE shows up.
Our family invites you to enjoy the light hearted fun with ELFIE. Today, Tomorrow, Always.


So a little while ago I read this book which I believe was quite popular even before the movie. Of course when the movie came out I went to watch it to compare the two and I must admit Ang Lee does it justice, even if he has to invent some parts of his own.
Though I enjoyed the story I found something wrong with it which I've decided to try and put into words here.
The story is about a young man (old boy) who finds himself on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for about two-thirds of a year. The story is roughly split into three unequal parts. The first part is his life as a boy in India. The second is the largest part which covers his time lost at sea.The last part is very short and briefly covers his arrival back on land and his re-connection with humans.
This is where I am required to put up the mandatory SPOILER WARNING sign to anyone who has not read the book, but still wishes to. For those people - go away and read it first. Get your own opinions before considering other people's.
So Pi is our narrator and his family live in India where they are zookeepers. They decide to emigrate to Canada and so load up some of the animals onto a ship, the Tsimtsum, and sail east. On their way a massive storm sinks the ship and Pi is the only member of his family to escape onto a lifeboat. Here we meet our first peculiarity. Pi claims that the animals were free from their cages, running around the ship.
So Pi ends up on a boat with an injured zebra, an orangutan and a hyena. The hyena kills the zebra and orangutan, before being killed himself by a tiger who happened to be hiding under the tarpaulin in the bottom of the boat. Pi then has to find a way to live with this tiger for the greater part of a year, surviving on rainwater and fishing to supplement the small supply of emergency rations kept in the boat.
This sounds fantastical in and of itself, but it gets even weirder. He then tells us of his adventures at sea, including finding a floating algae island which supported trees and fish-eating meerkats. The also speaks of meeting another traveller, himself in a lifeboat from his own shipwreck floating around in the Pacific Ocean.
When he eventually reaches dry land, the tiger mysteriously disappears, leaving no proof of its existence. Some people find Pi and take him to a hospital where he is later interviewed by two Japanese men who are looking for information on what happened to the Tsimtsum and, learning that it sank, what the causes might have been. After refusing to believe the fantastical story which Pi tells them, he then succumbs to telling them another version of the story.
In this second story there were no animals loose on the ship. Instead the animals on the ship are replaced by people. The hyena is the ship's cook, the orangutan is his mother and the injured zebra is a sailor who broke his leg. The cook convinces the others they have to cut off the sailor's leg to stop gangrene, but then uses its meat to fish with. The sailor ends up dying and the cook keeps fishing with his body parts. He then gets into an argument with Pi's mother and kills her. Pi, unable to deal mentally with the situation flees to the raft (which they made to fish from) only to return later and take revenge. Pi is the tiger.
I would like to expand upon that idea. Pi is traumatised and in order to deal with the situation has to create a split personality, an alter-ego. This is the tiger and the lifeboat - the central site of his pain - becomes its domain, forcing him into exile to escape the horrific memories.
It is only when he returns to dry land and is freed from the lifeboat that he can dismiss this alternate personality.
The introduction to the book gives us a promise to carry into the story. An old man in a bar (sounds like the opening to a myth) tells a writer that he knows a story that will make him believe in God. The writer then tracks down the narrator of the story in order to get the "firsthand account" of this story. What we find is something else. We do not find that we believe in God, but simply that we want to believe in God for fear of what the alternative means.
We find a lovely fantasy story designed in such a way as to supplant a true story and the true story is so horrible and tragic that we want the fantasy to be true. This, essentially, is the story of religion. Anyone who has spent enough of one's life following a religion will want desperately to hold their faith, even if their beliefs are proven to be illusions.


Meet Our Speakers
Angela Searcy, EdD
Dr. Angela Searcy is a mental health and educational consultant; adjunct faculty and seminar leader at Erikson Institute; credentialed developmental therapist; and former neuro-developmental specialist. She is the author of Push Past It! A Positive Approach to Challenging Classroom Behaviors, and her Book Elevating Equity is due for release this summer. Dr. Searcy will lead a workshop titled “Pushing Past Bias and Challenging Classroom Behaviors: Changing Children’s Behavior Starts With Changing Ourselves.” Understanding children’s behavior must start with a meaningful understanding of adult behavior and the context in which all these behaviors occur. The workshop will help you look beyond the child to the implicit bias, contextual elements, interactions, and classroom variables that might contribute to challenging classroom behaviors.
Amy Chapman, Ph.D.
Director, Collaborative for Spirituality in Education, Columbia University
Amy Chapman, Ph.D. is the Director of the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE), a center for research and teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. She researches spiritually supportive school culture and provides professional development for educators and school districts to apply that research in their own schools. Her first book, Social Media for Civic Education: Engaging Youth for Democracy was published in October 2022. Dr. Chapman will present the neuroscience of spirituality to understand how schools support students’ innate spirituality, and illustrate the importance of nature-based learning to the creation of a school environment that fosters spirituality.
Amber Fyfe Johnson, ND, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, Washington State University
Amber Fyfe-Johnson, ND, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine at Washington State University. Her work is centered at the intersection of social determinants of health, outdoor nature-based exposures, and pediatric health equity. Trained in pediatrics and cardiovascular disease epidemiology, her work has three primary objectives. First, to explore the biological and social mechanisms by which early life adversity influences health, and how exposure to nature acts as a protective factor. Second, to test interventions targeting pediatric health equity, specifically nature-based interventions that improve physical and mental health in youth. Third, to inform policy decision-making to promote equitable access to nature for all children. Dr. Fyfe-Johnson will explore how research can contribute to optimizing health equity in underrepresented youth and pediatric populations facing adversity.
Mélina Mangal writes picture books, biographies, and short stories that focus on connections with nature and culture. She is the author of The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award for Jayden’s Impossible Garden, named One of the Best Children's Books of the Year by Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and author of the forthcoming Jayden’s Secret Ingredient, about finding nature and creating community. Her latest YA short story appears in Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities. She will explore what children and adults can do when there isn’t much nature nearby, highlighting ways to foster engagement with nature in a positive way, through story.


NOTE: We will not be accepting book drop offs December 24 or 31 but will be open normal hours December 27 and January 3.
Every March we sell an average of 100,000 volumes in just five days. While many sales offer mostly paperback fiction, we specialize in top-quality, non-fiction, academic, hardback books in addition to paperbacks.
Books are donated to us by Princeton University scholars, local celebrities, and ordinary book lovers. Proceeds support college scholarships for young women from central New Jersey.


Thu, 8 March 2012
Hemant Mehta is best known for his work as the blogger "The Friendly Atheist." He began his public activism career with a curious and creative Ebay auction that eventually became the inspiration for his book I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith through an Atheist's Eyes. His efforts to personally understand religion have informed his unique approach to promoting an Atheistic worldview as a better moral choice.
You can read Hemant's Blog at www.FriendlyAtheist.com.
Follow him on Twitter at: @Hemantmehta.


Beneath the radiant sun and amidst the tranquil embrace of nature lies a world of exhilarating adventure – the realm of river rafting. Far from the ordinary, this waterborne odyssey beckons thrill-seekers and nature lovers alike to immerse themselves in its wild embrace. In this article, we’ll navigate the currents of excitement and discovery as we explore the thrilling world of river rafting, from its ancient origins to the heart-pounding rush of conquering rapids.
Rafting’s legacy stretches back through the annals of time, echoing the courage and ingenuity of ancient civilizations. From humble beginnings as a means of transport to modern-day escapades, the evolution of rafting mirrors humanity’s enduring quest for adventure and exploration.
Enveloped by the serenity of flowing waters and the rustling whispers of verdant foliage, rafting becomes a symphony of nature’s grandeur. The journey downriver unveils a canvas painted with rugged cliffs, lush forests, and the majestic spectacle of cascading waterfalls – a masterpiece crafted by the hands of Mother Nature herself.
The heart of rafting lies in the challenge of navigating the rapids – nature’s tempestuous playground where bravery meets the surge of rushing waters. Each rapid, from the gentle ripples of Class I to the thunderous fury of Class V, presents a dynamic labyrinth of twists and turns, testing the mettle and teamwork of adventurers.
Safety is the compass that guides every river voyage, and proper equipment is the anchor that secures it. Clad in sturdy rafts, equipped with paddles, helmets, and buoyant vests, adventurers embark on their journey fortified against the whims of the river. Under the watchful guidance of experienced guides, they learn the art of navigation and the dance of the rapids.
Rafting offers a tapestry of adventures, woven from threads of excitement, camaraderie, and shared experiences. From leisurely floats along tranquil waters to adrenaline-fueled descents through turbulent rapids, there’s a river adventure tailored to every taste and temperament.
In the spirit of stewardship, rafters are custodians of the rivers they traverse, champions of conservation, and guardians of nature’s sanctuaries. Through sustainable practices and environmental advocacy, they strive to preserve the pristine beauty of rivers and ensure their vitality for generations to come.
River rafting is more than an adventure – it’s a voyage of self-discovery, a communion with nature, and a celebration of the human spirit’s indomitable quest for adventure. So heed the call of the river, embrace the thrill of the rapids, and embark on an epic expedition that will leave an indelible mark upon your soul. For in the currents of adventure, you’ll find the true essence of life’s greatest journey.


In order to address the issue of physician suicide, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD), in collaboration with AAEM, ACEP, ACOEP, EMRA, RSA, RSO and SAEM have come together to annually dedicate the 3rd Monday in September as National Physician Suicide Awareness (NPSA) Day, #NPSADay.
Physician suicide is a tremendous issue in healthcare today. While estimates of the actual number of physician suicides vary, literature has shown that the relative risk for suicide being 2.27 times greater among women and 1.41 times higher among men versus the general population. Each physician suicide is a devastating loss affecting everyone - family, friends, colleagues and up to 1 million patients per year. It is both a very personal loss and a public health crisis. Vision Zero calls on individuals, residency programs, health care organizations and national groups to make a commitment to break down stigma, increase, open the conversation, decrease the fear of consequences, reach out to colleagues, recognize warning signs and learn to approach our colleagues who may be at risk. Let us challenge each other as individual, community, institutional and organizational to make changes to reach zero physician suicides.
Suicide can be prevented. Be the one to be there. Shed light on this issue and change the culture of medicine to save lives. Learn more and receive updates and information as it is released.


- Although colon and rectal cancers are frequently grouped as a single disease entity, there are important differences in treatment approaches and patterns of recurrence between these malignancies.
- The role of adjuvant therapy in colon cancers is well established, but available data do not support the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant therapy.
- The landscape of treatment for rectal cancer continues to evolve, making the role of adjuvant chemotherapy increasingly difficult to define.
Approximately 39,000 people are diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma in the United States annually.1 Adjuvant chemotherapy following chemoradiation and total mesorectal excision (TME) for locoregionally advanced rectal cancer has become a standard of care in the United States despite limited data.
The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in rectal cancer was first evaluated in the NSABP R-01 trial in 555 patients with Dukes’ B and C disease. Patients were randomly assigned to adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), semustine, and vincristine; adjuvant radiotherapy; or no further treatment. Both overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival benefits were seen with the addition of chemotherapy compared to surgery alone (p = 0.05 and p = 0.006, respectively) and established adjuvant chemotherapy following rectal cancer resection as a standard of care.2 Despite wide adoption of adjuvant chemotherapy following publication, the analysis did not account for meaningful differences in baseline patient characteristics, as healthier patients were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and expected to live longer regardless of additional therapy. Furthermore, although this outcome was meaningful during this era, this study was conducted prior to routine use of neoadjuvant therapy and the TME technique.
Modern Era of Treatment
Since the publication of early trials, the treatment of rectal cancer has evolved. The practice-changing trial from Sauer et al in 2004 established neoadjuvant, as opposed to adjuvant, chemoradiation as a standard of care for rectal cancer.3 In the 11-year update, chemoradiation resulted in 7.1% cumulative incidence of local recurrence versus 10.1% with adjuvant chemoradiation.4 Additionally, changes in surgical techniques have dramatically reduced local recurrence rates for patients with rectal cancer. Prior to routine use of TME, local recurrence rates were as high as 26% in patients treated with surgery alone.5,6 TME has since become standard of care, and more recent clinical trials examining the role of neoadjuvant radiation therapy (RT) found local recurrence rates of 10.9% with TME alone.7
The EORTC 22921 study examined the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer. Patients with stage T3-4 resectable rectal cancer (1,011 patients) were randomly assigned to preoperative RT, preoperative chemoradiation, preoperative RT and postoperative chemotherapy, or preoperative chemoradiation and postoperative chemotherapy. The 5-year cumulative incidence rates for local recurrence were 8.7%, 9.6%, and 7.6% for groups that received chemotherapy preoperatively, postoperatively, or both, and 17.1% in those that did not receive any chemotherapy (p = 0.002). These data established that the addition of chemotherapy in both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings decreases local recurrence.
Despite long-term follow-up, there was no effect on OS or disease-free survival (DFS) with the addition of postoperative chemotherapy compared to no adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.32 and 0.29, respectively). In an unplanned subgroup analysis, there was a DFS benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy seen in those patients with tumor down-staging following neoadjuvant therapy (p = 0.013). However, the 10-year rate of distant metastases was nearly 30% in all study arms.8-11 It is important to recognize that this study did not directly compare adjuvant chemotherapy versus observation in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Additionally, the trial design has been criticized for being underpowered and for using a bolus 5-FU regimen that is not standard in the United States.
A second randomized trial, by Cionini et al, directly questioned the utility of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with cT3 or T4 disease who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery. The 655 patients in this study were randomly assigned to receive six cycles of 5-FU versus observation. At 5 years of follow-up, there was no difference in OS, local recurrence, or distant metastases.12 Notably, this trial also used a bolus 5-FU regimen.
The PROCTOR-SCRIPT trial randomly assigned patients with histologically proven stage II or III rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant RT or chemoradiation and TME to adjuvant chemotherapy versus observation. The trial accrued 437 eligible patients but closed because of poor accrual. After median follow-up at 5 years, there was no difference in OS, DFS, local recurrence, or distant metastases.13 An additional study from the United Kingdom closed prematurely after accruing 113 of an intended 800 patients. After neoadjuvant chemoradiation and resection, patients were randomly assigned to adjuvant capecitabine and oxaliplatin for six cycles or observation; compliance was poor, with only 48% of those assigned to chemotherapy completing six cycles. No differences were observed in OS or DFS.14
In an effort to improve statistical power through patient numbers, a meta-analysis of individual patient data from four European randomized trials included 1,196 patients with stage II or III rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant therapy and surgical resection. No differences were seen in OS, DFS, or distant metastases. In these studies, compliance with adjuvant chemotherapy ranged from 43% to 73%.15 Collectively, these data do not support the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy in local advanced rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery.
Optimal Chemotherapy Regimen
Although colon and rectal cancers are frequently grouped as a single disease entity, there are important differences in treatment approaches and patterns of recurrence between these malignancies. Where data are lacking in the adjuvant management of rectal cancer, extrapolation from colon cancer studies is commonly used. Early trials, including the NSABP-C01 and a pooled analysis, demonstrated a 25% to 30% relative risk reduction in mortality and distant metastases with the use of adjuvant chemotherapy compared to surgery alone.2,6,16-18
The MOSAIC trial, which randomly assigned 2,246 patients with stage II-III colon cancer to either adjuvant bolus plus continuous-infusion 5-FU and leucovorin (LV5FU2) versus the same regimen with the addition of oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4), found the addition of oxaliplatin significantly improved both 5-year DFS and 6-year OS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.023, respectively).19,20
Although multiple studies have evaluated the optimal systemic therapy regimen in colon cancer, the data for selecting a specific chemotherapy regimen for adjuvant therapy in rectal cancer are sparse. The ADORE trial, a multicenter, phase II, randomized controlled study, examined the addition of oxaliplatin to a 5-FU–based adjuvant chemotherapy regimen in the setting of patients with rectal cancer who had previously been treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery. A total of 321 patients with pathologic stage II or III (ypT3-4N0 or ypTanyN1-2) rectal cancer and were randomly assigned to receive either four cycles of 5-FU and leucovorin versus eight cycles of FOLFOX. The primary study endpoint was 3-year DFS. With a median follow-up of 38.2 months, there was a statistically significant improvement favoring the FOLFOX regimen (71.6% vs. 62.9%, HR 0.657, p = 0.047).21 General treatment-related toxicity, including fatigue, neuropathy, thrombocytopenia, and nausea, was greater with the FOLFOX regimen, although there was no difference in grade 3 or 4 events.
There are currently no trials addressing the appropriate duration of adjuvant chemotherapy for rectal cancer. The optimal duration of therapy is largely based on the experience in colon cancer where 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy is standard. Recent results from the IDEA collaboration (six randomized trials of 6 vs. 3 months of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant therapy) reported during the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of grade 3 or 4 neurotoxicity with 6 compared to 3 months of treatment (16% vs. 3% with FOLFOX, 9% vs. 3% with CAPOX). At a median follow-up of 39 months, the 3-year DFS for 3 versus 6 months of treatment was 74.6% versus 75.5% (HR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.15).22
Extrapolating these data to rectal cancer, however, is challenging given many patients with rectal cancer are treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation prior to surgery, whereas patients with colon cancer typically proceed directly to surgery followed by adjuvant therapy. Consensus-based guidelines, such as those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, currently recommend a total of 6 months of perioperative therapy for treatment of resected rectal cancer, which generally includes a 5- to 6-week course of chemoradiotherapy and 4 additional months of adjuvant chemotherapy.
Despite the paucity of data supporting adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer that have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by TME, it has been incorporated into standard treatment. The landscape of treatment for rectal cancer continues to evolve, making the question of adjuvant chemotherapy increasingly difficult to answer.
As cost of care and resource utilization becomes ever more important, some centers are beginning to incorporate a hypofractionated, neoadjuvant radiation approach (5 Gy x 5 fractions) both with and without consolidation chemotherapy.23-25 The ongoing PROSPECT trial is randomly assigning 1,000 patients to a standard arm of 5-FU or capecitabine-based chemoradiation, followed by TME and adjuvant FOLFOX, versus six cycles of neoadjuvant FOLFOX (and no chemoradiation if reassessment shows a greater than 20% response at the primary tumor), TME, and six cycles of adjuvant FOLFOX.26 Additionally, a nonoperative management approach pioneered by Habr-Gama et al suggests that patients with a clinical complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation many have preserved oncologic outcomes and may not derive additional benefit from surgery.27-30
In these contexts, the need for adjuvant chemotherapy has yet to be explored. The ongoing phase II trial from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is accruing patients to further explore a nonoperative treatment approach for patients with near or complete clinical response to the neoadjuvant treatment. Additionally, this study is examining the timing of chemotherapy and whether chemotherapy given prior to chemoradiation can improve DFS.31
Sensitivity to systemic agents appears to be dependent on microsatellite status as patients with colon cancer and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) or deficient mismatch repair enzymes (dMMR) may not benefit from adjuvant therapy.32,33 Le et al found that in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and dMMR, delivery of anti–PD-1 antibody monotherapy resulted in high tumor response rates and increased progression-free survival compared to proficient MMR tumors.34 An ongoing phase III randomized trial is examining whether the addition of the anti–PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab to FOLFOX in patients with stage III colon cancer with dMMR or MSI-H can improve DFS compared to FOLFOX alone35; it is plausible that the use of immunotherapy could be extrapolated to rectal cancer.
Given the nearly 30% rate of distant metastases with locally advanced rectal cancer, better systemic agents are clearly needed. At present, oncologists will need to consider patients’ comorbidities, tumor stage (both pre- and post-neoadjuvant treatment), tumor response, pathologic characteristics, and postoperative performance status resulting in a nuanced discussion regarding the potential advantages and drawbacks of adjuvant chemotherapy.
About the Authors: Dr. Spiegel is chief resident of the Duke Radiation oncology residency program at the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Uronis is an associate professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Czito is an associate professor of radiation oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Willett is professor and chair of radiation oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Palta is an associate professor of radiation oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute.


This is a book that anyone planning to see Star Wars III should read before watching the film. It ably fills in the gap between the end of Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and The Revenge Of The Sith. Numerous loose ends are tied up, the motivations of key characters fleshed out, and the stage set, as it were, for the grand opening scenes of the new film.
The gist of the story, without giving too many of the details away, is that time has passed since the end of "The Clones". The Separatists are apparently in retreat, having been pushed back to the Galactic Rim. The war continues, and Chancellor Palpatine uses every incident as a means to garner more personal power. Anakin and Obi Wan are but a couple of the Jedi tasked with leading the forces of the Republic in grandiose battles on far-flung worlds. Anakin is torn, as always, between his unrealized strength in the force and his duty, destiny, and respect for Obi Wan & the Jedi, from whom he harbours many secrets, not least his hidden marriage with Padme.
Back on Coruscant, the Jedi Council is convinced that this is a war of the Force, more than of ships and men. Yoda, more than others, senses strongly the Dark Side ascendant, and his apparent inability to do anything to stem the rise of the Sith. The Lords of the Sith, Darth Tyranus, who we all know to be Count Dooku, and Lord Sidious, the as-yet-unexposed Palpatine, are well-detailed, perhaps Dooku more so. He is cast as a tragic hero, a stylized Brutus, perhaps, who, having made a choice to live by the sword, beyond the constraints of the Jedi, and for what he believed was the right cause for the galaxy, a fascist rule by one man, must now follow his own destiny down the path of sorrows.
The different groups in the Star Wars universe all have their own interpretations of duty and destiny, but none more tragic than the Jedi, guardians of the galaxy. Like many such groups before them, such as the Schutzstaffel("Meine Ehre heißt Treue" -"My honor is loyalty.") , and the samurai, the Jedi are blinded to the dangers of state control by their duty to the state. The culture they embody requires them to wilfully go down the path of their destiny even as they foresee the rise of the dark side of the Force. Even those of them, such as Yoda, who has seen beyond the curtain of the dark side, cannot rip it apart and face the enemy, for fear that beyond the curtain lies a mirror, reflecting secrets of their own darkened hearts.
The book has some of the best action writing I have ever read. The space battles are visually rich, and the cross-cutting between multiple threads skilfully done. The essence of Bushido, Lucas' inspiration of the code of the Jedi, is expounded at times, including challenges of a samurai, such as choices between Loyalty and Rectitude, Honor and Courage> The other key attribute of Lucas' work, misdirection as a means of revealing much, drawn from Kurosawa's style, is continued in the book, until much is revealed, and the galaxy, Coruscant, and Anakin ablaze with the fire that will bring a new hope.
If you would like a few hints as to the final scenes, and the opening scenes of "The Revenge Of The Sith", please say so as a comment, and I'll email you/update the post.
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Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
1 Chronicles 22:19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
Psalm 105:4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!