Policy Framing Issues in the World of COVID-19

This book is a somewhat unusual depiction of a difficult policy issue. It transcends almost all boundaries because of its constant change and its movement across many different participants.

It was found attached to a range of policy topics, methodologies and approaches. Some of these were familiar while others seemed new. Interest in this topic was exhibited across the globe and did not appear to be delivered along with a narrow political agenda.

While researchers tended to re-examine classic public policy literatures (such as those dealing with implementation, federalism and budgeting) they did so by raising unusual issues. But this was not typical since analysts are likely to emphasize similarities rather than differences in settings.

Polly

Polly spent most days sitting alone, sadly looking at her reflection in the mirror. Countless lonely hours were spent trying to figure out why all the squirrels in the forest refused to accept her. In the mirror, she saw long curly eyelashes with huge eyes. Her fur was soft and silky with unusual highlights. It varied in color depending on how the sun beamed on it. The fur underneath her belly was as white as snow. Her tail was long, full, and bushy. As she continued to observe her reflection in the mirror, she became painfully aware of the striking differences between her and all the other squirrels. Just like all the other squirrels in the forest her mother had the same small black eyes, dull gray fur, and semi-short less bushy tail. Even her mother was baffled by her unusual features.

Polly’s plight will illustrate to you how children today will take any characteristic or any physical differences and find fault to make fun, taunt, tease, and sometimes brutally attack you. This can be the cause of low self-esteem, fearfulness, and sadness all because someone dislikes you because you are different. I remember growing up in a community where my peers taunted me about the tone of my skin. Unfortunately, rejection, snubbing, teasing, and taunting still exists in the form of bullying and it’s even more prevalent today.

As you read Polly’s story you will see how one little squirrel gained respect and friendship from her peers through her selflessness, bravery, and courage. Her peers will learn a valuable lesson in pre-judging as it pertains to someone because of their nationality, physical appearance, race, or ethnicity.

Polly and Jessie Hunt for Lost Treasure

Join Polly and Jessie on their exciting quest for lost treasure! Polly the penguin and Jessie the elephant are best friends who love to go on adventures. When Jessie discovers an old treasure map, the dynamic duo sets out to follow its clues and uncover hidden riches. But their journey won’t be easy – they’ll face many challenges and obstacles along the way. Will their friendship and determination be enough to help them succeed in their quest? Find out in Polly and Jessie Hunt for Lost Treasure, a heartwarming and thrilling story that will capture the imagination of young readers. Perfect for children who love animals, mysteries, and exciting adventures!

Ponderings of an Old Theologian

Ponderings of an Old Theologian is a book in which the author reflects on his life as a youngster and a seminarian in the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church, as a priest and missionary in the Philippines, and as a resigned priest and lay teacher at a Catholic school. The Second Vatican Council (1962-5) and Pope John XXIII had a life-shaping effect on him throughout his journey.

Early on, he decided to help implement the renewals of Vatican II, and did so as a missionary and a teacher. In simple language, his narrative and reflections cover the development of Catholic thinking through several generations and look at the papacy of Pope Francis as the hope of a real Vatican II Church. The work invites the readers to find how they can make Vatican II relevant in their lives (part memoir, part reflection on Catholic theology).

Porcupine's Dream

In this imaginative Clarke Fable, your child will learn the lesson of self-acceptance.

The sleepy little porcupine finds that what makes her unique, makes her wonderfully special.

Be sure to watch for the bluebird who hides in and out of the story’s colorful pages!

Porter Brothers' Tragedy

The Porter brothers, Glenn and Steven, were in their twenties and had their whole lives in front of them.  They found jobs and worked at a business where the wealthy owners had two beautiful daughters. Glenn and Steven pursued these two girls with hopes of marriage. The Porters eventually quit working at the business, and everything turned against them. The two daughters labeled the Porter Brothers as runners, men who run away from the responsibility of marriage, while their rich parents put out a statewide man hunt alert for the state of Maine. The Porters were blacklisted statewide. Their story caught on like wildfire through the rest of Maine. Many people were jealous that they could become rich overnight by marrying these two wealthy daughters. There would be more than one murder attempt on the Porter brothers’ lives in order to prevent them from becoming rich. This is the Porter Brothers’ Tragedy, filled with romance, violence, and stories of torture and disappointed hopes. 

Positive Thinking As a Way of Life

Penned with a profound desire to aid individuals grappling with mental hurdles like depression, dwindling motivation, and self-assurance, this book serves as a companion in your journey towards self-betterment. Through its affirming lines and a special emphasis on the EODs - daily nuggets of positivity, the author aspires to instill a renewed sense of self-worth, nudging you to stand tall, gradually bolstering your confidence and self-esteem with each passing day.

In the face of today’s global adversities, the narrative underscores the essence of daily self-care, urging not only personal adherence but also the encouragement of loved ones to embrace this nurturing practice. It is a clarion call for humanity to not merely endure, but to flourish and thrive, making the most of our everyday lives.

Powder River, 1957

“The year my mother left us, my father found a dog along the highway just outside of Powder River.”

Thus opens the beginning of sixteen-year-old Matthew Christman’s account of his senior year. Reeling from his loss, Matthew struggles to make sense of the adult world into which he has been forced to enter prematurely. He faces other losses, foremost among them his innocence, as he tries to figure out the difference between being a man’s man, or a good man like his father.

The threat of death is ever present for Matthew as he learns the value of love and friendship in his journey to find his way in a world fraught with unpredictable challenges.

Power Spiritual Stories

These one hundred stories, born from three decades of spiritual pursuit, were chosen for their profound impact. Stories can be life-changing. It is often said that the shortest distance between a human being and truth is a story. In a world filled with untruths, stories help us discern what to believe. They allow us to explore different thoughts, perceptions, and actions, encouraging us to adopt new attitudes and choices. They provide a new way to interact with the world and others. These stories possess a power beyond words, connecting deeply with the brain and touching the soul. They carry messages from God that illuminate darkness and bring transformation. Stories can shift our paradigms, stimulate new perspectives, and help us transcend the physical to go beyond apparent facts.

Pride and Prejudice Among the Stars

Earth’s first contact with extra-terrestrials, requesting permission to land on Antarctica to repair one of their three ships, proves to be a potential extinction event for the human race. When a nuke, and missiles, prove to be futile against alien defensive screens, Earth’s last hope is put in the hands of a six-man Navy Seal team. Cody Hawke leads his team to the site, and they damage the annihilator weapon as it is fired, but the team and much of Earth’s population is wiped out. Twenty-five years later, another alien ship arrives with damage caused by an attack from Horde ships, from another galaxy.

Setting down near the three Zirralonian war ships, they discover the damage done to the planet, whose existence is new to them. Reptilian scientists use regeneration transference to animate three earthlings whose bodies are frozen in the ice. Though the bodies are supposed to be temporary shells without awareness, used for scientific study, they prove to be much more. Is it possible for a technologically-challenged Earth to help advanced friendlies defeat the even greater tech of another galaxy?

Princess Maya

To ensure the presence, long and productive lives of bees

we must be kind to them

by providing a friendly habitat.

Building hives and having natural settings,

like logs, and old trees,

will keep them safe and warm.

Growing a variety of flowering plants

that bloom throughout all seasons

will enable them to collect nectar and pollen.

Honeybees are not the only one pollinators.

That delicate job is also done by butterflies,

bumblebees, hornets, flies, ants,

mosquitos, lady bugs, and others,

but honeybees are the only one who share with humans

their product of labour - honey.

Princess Ohletherbe

Jane tries looking at the world through the eyes and mind of a child, as an adult.

Princess Ohletherbe has allowed her to run free of all the adult restrictions that we as adults carry with us daily.

Jane has rediscovered the incredible open nature of children and appreciates it even more now that she has become a grandmother.