Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Archetype and Character: Power, Eros, Spirit and Matter Personality Types

Archetype and Character: Power, Eros, Spirit and Matter Personality Types Review



Archetype and Character introduces a new typology based on unconscious motivations. It relies on C. G. Jung's description of the unconscious as composed of a personal and an archetypal layer. The book describes four archetypes, Power, Eros, Matter and Spirit, as the fundamental motivations that define human attitudes and behavior. This archetypal-motivational typology is contrasted with Jung's and its popular version, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which rely solely on the conscious functions of thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition. The book outlines eight personality types based on the extraverted and introverted deployment of the above four archetypes. It then applies these typological categories to Freud, Adler and Jung so as to highlight heretofore neglected aspects of their personalities and to understand the reasons for their personal and theoretical disputes. A concluding chapter summarizes the practical findings, cultural implications, and theoretical insights gained from this manner of understanding the basic principles that motivate human behavior. An Addendum provides a self-administered Archetypal-Motivational Typology Scale that makes the concepts used in the book relevant and meaningful to the reader.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life

The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life Review



In his powerful bestseller The Soul's Code, James Hillman brilliantly illuminated the central importance of character to our spiritual and emotional lives. Now, in this magnificent new book, Hillman completes his exploration of character with a profound and revolutionary reflection on life's second half.

"Character requires the additional years," declares Hillman. "The last years confirm and fulfill character." Far from blunting or dulling the self, the accumulation of experience concentrates the essence of our being, heightening our individual mystery and unique awareness of life. Drawing on his grounding in Jungian psychology, Hillman explains here the archetypes and myths that govern the self's realignment in our final years.

The Force of Character follows an enriching journey through the three stages of aging--lasting, the deepening that comes with longevity; leaving, the preparation for departure; and left, the special legacy we each bestow on our survivors.  Along the way the book explores the meanings and often hidden virtues of characteristic physical and emotional changes, such as loss of memory, alterations in sleep patterns, and the mysterious upsurge in erotic imagination.

Steeped in the wisdom of a lifetime, radiant with Hillman's reading in philosophy, poetry, and sacred texts, charged with a piercing clarity, The Force of Character is a book that will change--and affirm--the lives of all who read it.


Saturday, April 28, 2012

Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines

Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines Review



This is the history of Alaska s last legacy airline, Alaska Airlines. Aviation-history writer Robert Serling has documented Alaska Airlines unconventional past and titled it Character & Characters in recognition of those who flew the planes and marked the airline s transformation from a single-aircraft bush operator in 1932 to a major U.S. carrier. From Alaska Airlines fabled beginnings serving the far reaches of America s Last Frontier to its present-day network stretching from Barrow to Zihuatanejo and Boston to Honolulu . . . from creative promotions to its historic flights that linked the United States and the Russian Far East . . . from distinctive in-flight services to the first online ticket sales, Character & Characters chronicles the unusual stories and colorful people behind this uncommonly independent airline. Serling s seasoned perspective is based on his authorship of a long list of airline histories, an industry fascination that began not long after the Wright brothers first flight, and his love of a good story. His experience has resulted in a spirited telling of Alaska Airlines history of survival and success over unforgiving geographies in a remarkably competitive business. Character & Characters has a rhythm to it, based not so much on chronology as on Serling s innate sense of how a good story should be told. And like the airline that is the subject of his work, his book is a great aviation saga.


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Character Analysis

Character Analysis Review



Reich's classic work on the development and treatment of human character disorders, first published in 1933.

As a young clinician in the 1920s, Wihelm Reich expanded psychoanalytic resistance into the more inclusive technique of character analysis, in which the sum total of typical character attitudes developed by an individual as a blocking against emotional excitations became the object of treatment. These encrusted attitudes functioned as an "armor," which Reich later found to exist simultaneously in chronic muscular spasms. Thus mind and body came together and character analysis opened the way to a biophysical approach to disease and the prevention of it.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning Grades PreK-K (Safe & Caring Schools)

Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning Grades PreK-K (Safe & Caring Schools) Review



Book with CD-Rom

Hundreds of user-friendly lesson plans help teachers build attitudes of respect and caring, reduce problem behaviors, empower students to solve problems, and educate the whole child socially, emotionally, and academically. The lessons’ literature-based connections allow teachers to “build in” rather than “add on” social-emotional learning (SEL) as part of the daily curriculum. Each resource guide offers:

  • Monthly themes focused on emotions, empathy, relationships, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, problem solving, decision making, teamwork, and self-esteem
  • Literature-based lessons with curriculum integrations for using the lessons as part of language arts, social studies, science, math, art, and music
  • Easy-to-implement lesson formats for all activities: Read, Discuss, Do, Relate
  • Built-in assessments
  • Reproducible activity handouts in the book and on CD-ROM
Field-tested in classrooms across the United States, these activities when fully implemented have resulted in improved school climate, greater parent engagement, increased academic achievement, and reduction in discipline referrals. The Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning resource guides are essential teaching tools for all preK–8 teachers.


Sunday, April 22, 2012

Character in Action: The U.S. Coast Guard on Leadership

Character in Action: The U.S. Coast Guard on Leadership Review



How does the U.S. Coast Guard create, instill, and maintain leadership throughout a 40,000 member force spread across the United States? A former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and a best-selling author combine their knowledge of the subject to offer a formula for success. Donald T. Phillips, who has written eight books on leadership, asserts that the Coast Guard is a superlative example of an organization with effective leadership, loaded with leaders at all levels. From a guardsman scraping barnacles off buoys in the Gulf of Mexico to the captain of a cutter in the Gulf of Alaska to the Commandant in Washington, they know exactly what leadership is, how it works, and why it is important. This case study in leadership uses the Coast Guard as an example for other organizations who want to imbue leadership to every single one of its members. An effective leadership beacon, the book is replete with tangible examples, vivid anecdotes, and explicit guidelines on how to instill leadership throughout an entire organization. Stories abound on Coast Guard efficiency, innovation, and heroism and many are used to illustrate the service's effectiveness and to engage the reader. From the military and government communities to the business world, a variety of organizations can benefit from this outstanding leadership guide. 5 x 8 inches.


Friday, April 20, 2012

Learn to Draw Disney: Celebrated Characters Collection: Including your Disney/Pixar Favorites!

Learn to Draw Disney: Celebrated Characters Collection: Including your Disney/Pixar Favorites! Review



Learn to draw a variety of Disney characters––from Mickey and Buzz Lightyear to Simba and Sulley

 

With Learn to Draw DisneyPixar: The Ultimate Collection, kids will embark on a thrilling artistic journey full of loyal friends, brave bugs, gentle monsters, and more! This 144-page five-in-one collection features five of Walter Foster’s best-selling Learn to Draw titles, including Mickey Mouse and His Friends, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Cars, and Your Favorite Disney•Pixar Characters. Young artists will develop their drawing skills while accompanying such characters as the fearless little fish Nemo, the hotshot racecar Lightning McQueen, and the vigilant space ranger Buzz Lightyear on their exciting, heroic adventures! The simple, easy-to-follow method shows each new drawing step in blue so artists of all levels can learn to draw with confidence. Additionally, full-color illustrations and detailed story synopses engage young artists for hours of creative fun.


Monday, April 16, 2012

Character Building Activities for Kids: Ready-to-Use Character Education Lessons & Activities for the Elementary Grades

Character Building Activities for Kids: Ready-to-Use Character Education Lessons & Activities for the Elementary Grades Review



This straight-forward resource gives teachers, counselors, and parents over 140 common-sense lessons with reproducible activities for developing traits selected as representative of good character, such as honesty, generosity and fairness. This guide is organized into three sections focusing on respect for self, respect for others, and a positive outlook on life. Each lesson defines a specific character trait, shows children how to recognize the trait, and provides opportunities for children to apply the trait in their own daily lives.


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Traditional Chinese characters from HSK level 1

Traditional Chinese characters from HSK level 1 Review



This book contains the 176 Traditional Chinese Characters necessary to pass the HSK level 1 test. Each character is displayed in a large handwriting font and it has its pinyin readings and the most important English translations. The strokes are labeled in order by small numbers. The arrow following the number 1 shows you the writing direction. Search for B005GGTMYS to find the simplified version of this book.



About the HSK

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, abbreviated as HSK, is the People's Republic of China's only standardized test of Standard Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers, namely foreign students, overseas Chinese, and members of ethnic minority groups in China. It translates literally to "Chinese Proficiency Test".

The China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (Hanban) is currently responsible for the HSK exams and introduced a new format in November 2009. The new format's emphasis is "comprehensive language and communication ability". Most notable is the inclusion of spoken and written segments at all levels (not just Advanced), reformation of the ranking system, and use of new question structures.

The new ranking system reduces the three test formats to Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each level has two sub-levels: "acceptable" and "with honors."


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection: 35 Years of Characters

Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection: 35 Years of Characters Review



Here at last is the complete and definitive collection of the more than 2,500 Star Wars® action figures produced over the last 35 years. Fans and collectors can finally trace the evolution of each character in toy form from the time of their first appearance through the designs of today, with pages of amazing and inventive variations crafted to tell the stories of Luke Skywalker, Darth Maul, and literally hundreds more. Compiled by Stephen J. Sansweet, owner of the world's largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia, the book also showcases and details the rare, popular, forgotten, and beloved figures coveted by fans the world over, drawing figures from the feature film, video game, and cartoon realms of the vast Star Wars universe.


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Chicken Soup for the Soul in the Classroom - Middle School Edition: Lesson Plans and Students' Favorite Stories for Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Critical Thinking, Character Building

Chicken Soup for the Soul in the Classroom - Middle School Edition: Lesson Plans and Students' Favorite Stories for Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Critical Thinking, Character Building Review



'Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.'

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

As a teacher, you have the unique opportunity to teach and inspire your students to be goal-oriented, compassionate, confident, and ambitious. Anna Unkovich, a former teacher of thirty-five years, made a difference in her students' lives through the daily use of stories from the bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul.

For many years, Unkovich read these stories to her students and noticed remarkable changes in them, both academically and personally. Recognizing that today's teenagers have more challenges in finding positive role models, she teamed up with bestselling author Mark Victor Hansen and veteran teacher, inspirational speaker, and bestselling author Jack Canfield to create an unprecedented educational curriculum for teachers to use to empower their students in the same way that they have. Unkovich chose the most inspirational stories from the more than one hundred Chicken Soup books published. These stories, activities, and plans will enhance your existing curriculum. Designed to be read aloud to students, each story is accompanied by thought-provoking questions and exercises specifically designed and used by the authors.

Your students will identify with each of the powerful stories and will be encouraged to apply the lesson plans to their own lives, challenges, and situations, and at the same time improve their critical thinking and writing skills. More important, unlike other curriculums, Chicken Soup for the Soul in the Classroom educates and provides opportunities for open dialogue on real-life issues, including character building and self-esteem.


Saturday, April 7, 2012

Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues

Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues Review



Don't Let Our Kids Flunk Life

The novelist Walker Percy once observed, "Some people get all As but flunk life." Succeeding in life takes character. In Character Matters, award-winning psychologist-educator Thomas Lickona offers more than 100 practical strategies that parents and schools have used to help kids build strong personal character as the foundation for a purposeful, productive, and fulfilling life.

Lickona shows how irresponsible and destructive behavior can invariably be traced to the absence of good character and its 10 essential qualities: wisdom, justice, fortitude, self-control, love, a positive attitude, hard work, integrity, gratitude, and humility. He lays out a blueprint for building these core virtues through a partnership shared by families, schools, and communities. Chapters include:

  • 14 strategies that help kids succeed academically while building character
  • More than a dozen character-building discipline strategies
  • 20 ways to prevent peer cruelty and promote kindness
  • 10 ways to talk to teens about sex, love, and character

The culmination of a lifetime's work in character education, this landmark book gives us the tools we need to raise respectful and responsible children, create safe and effective schools, and build the caring and decent society in which we all want to live.


Friday, April 6, 2012

Character Sketches from the Pages of Scripture, Illustrated in the World of Nature, Vol. 1

Character Sketches from the Pages of Scripture, Illustrated in the World of Nature, Vol. 1 Review



Discusses Christian character traits illustrated in the Bible and nature.


Saturday, March 31, 2012

1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More

1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More Review



From the author of 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, this 300 page, 150,000+ word reference tool can serve writers who need characters and need them now!

If character development is your problem, this detailed reference tool for any writer is the solution. Imagine if every time you sat down to brainstorm for your stories, scripts and more, you had a notebook full of character ideas ready to spring to life on the page. This time-saving, idea-generating tome can ensure that from protagonist to checkout girl, your characters are fully developed and captivating. Covering a variety of genres, time periods and styles, 1,000 Character Writing Prompts, adds nuance and depth to the typical character stereotypes many writers rely on.

The book includes the following archetypes:
• Superheroes, sidekicks and secret agents
• Monsters, demons and strange creatures
• Optimists, pessimists and screw ups
• Zombies, werewolves and vampires
• Lawyers, doctors and butchers
• Rebels, ninjas, actors, villains, pets, babies and many more!

Each of the 1,000 character ideas ends with a question or command to push you past your writer's block and into a creative flow state for your future writing sessions. This sequel to author Bryan Cohen's popular 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts can take your writing productivity to a whole new level.

Bryan Cohen is a director, a comedian and an author of several books on the art of writing including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More and Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job. His website Build Creative Writing Ideas helps over 240,000 visitors a year to push past writer's block and reach their creative goals. He lives in Chicago.


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Writer's Guide to Character Traits

Writer's Guide to Character Traits Review



From Sex to Schizophrenia: Everything You Need to Develop Your Characters!





What makes a person commit a white-collar crime? Who is a likely candidate to join a cult? Why do children have imaginary friends? How does birth order affect whether or not a person gets married? When does mind over matter become a crippling problem?





Writer's Guide to Character Traits, 2nd edition answers all of these questions and many others. With more than 400 easy-to-reference lists of traits blended from a variety of behaviors and influences, you'll gain the knowledge you need to create distinctive characters whose personalities correspond to their thoughts and actions - no matter how normal or psychotic they might be. In this updated and expanded edition, you'll also find:





  • Comprehensive instruction on how to use this book

  • New statistical information to help you create true-to-life characters

  • Corresponding exercises that show you how to put the material to work in your stories

  • A quick-reference index to make cross-referencing a snap

  • Idea sparkers to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the page




Plus, you'll learn about common - and not so common - psychological, physical, and relationship disorders; delve into the minds of criminals; find out what it takes to be a professional athlete, scientist, and truck driver; discover what life is like for a gang member, suicidal teen, and alcoholic; and more.





In Writer's Guide to Character Traits, 2nd edition, note psychologist and author Dr. Linda Edelstein takes you beyond generic personality types and into the depths of the human psyche where you're sure to find the resources you need to make your characters stand out from the crowd.


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Bleach MASKED: Official Character Book 2

Bleach MASKED: Official Character Book 2 Review



Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T.

Uncover the secrets of Bleach! This profile book contains extensive information on the characters and story from Bleach volumes 21-37. It includes exclusive color art, a poster, bonus materials and an interview with Tite Kubo. Step into the ghostly world of Bleach like never before!


Friday, March 23, 2012

Cast of Characters

Cast of Characters Review



TWENTY-EIGHT LEADING VOICES IN FICTION –
INCLUDING ELEVEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS –
JOIN TOGETHER IN A CELEBRATION OF GREAT STORYTELLING

We love fiction. It’s in our blood and it’s in our souls. Great stories thrill us and inspire us in a way that nothing else can. If you’re like us, then we invite you to revel in this anthology of all-original stories we’ve created for you.

In CAST OF CHARACTERS, you’ll meet a collection of unforgettable personalities. The devoted wife who discovers her husband’s devastating secret. The Black Death survivor who reinvents herself. The woman who finds love in the arms of a dark, dangerous artist. The devoted scientist faced with a daunting ethical dilemma. The woman who hears ghosts. The gorgeous but fated young man. The small-town beauty queen with a world-class mean streak. The inventor who fears his invention. The man seeking a reunion decades later with his first love. The stalker who understands too late who he is stalking. The dreadful athlete who gets one opportunity to win. The man who loves a woman society will not allow him to love. These are only a few of the figures who will leap from the page and take residence in your heart.

In addition, CAST OF CHARACTERS is highlighted by several “events” you won’t want to miss:

• #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander delivers her first short story with a contemporary setting – as does New York Times bestselling author Tanya Anne Crosby.
• New York Times bestselling author Jo Beverley brings back the hero of her novel Forbidden Magic.
• New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox creates a new Biker Witches story.
• New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham writes her first story with her son Jason.
• New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister tells the story of one of her most beloved teen characters as an adult.
• National bestselling author Julie Ortolon tells the beloved Pearl Island story her fans have been clamoring for.
• National bestselling author Diana Peterfreund offers the origin story for one of the most important magical items in her “killer unicorn” series.

A huge volume of twenty-eight stories ranging from romance to suspense to fantasy to comedy to poignant character pieces, CAST OF CHARACTERS is a must-have book for everyone who loves fiction.