Boy Who Dreamt Of Fire Trucks

This story is about a little boy who is fascinated by fire trucks. Throughout his early life, he has dreams about the adventures at the station and the exciting life of a firefighter. The little boy holds his dreams close until one day they become a reality.

For fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site comes an exciting new bedtime story about a brave little fire truck. A fire truck has had a big day of putting out fires and saving kittens, and now it's time to sleep. After making sure all is quiet and safe, he rolls back into the station for a shower, swishes and swigs a bedtime refreshment, and settles in with a bedtime story. But a hero's job is never done, and the fire truck dreams of taming a ferocious campfire and celebrating the end of his exciting day with s'mores! This delightful book about a heroic fire truck preparing for bed will be a favorite for any fan of fire trucks and everyday heroes. As always, Sharon Chriscoe lulls the reader with her witty and gentle rhyming verse, accompanied by Dave Mottram's charming illustrations. Fire Truck Dreams is certain to bring joy to any bedtime routine.

Death has come for an old man, and he is ready! No more could be asked of his weary mortal being. But Divine Providence decides otherwise and so in his last mortal days a small, lost girl is sent to him. She hands him more time on Earth. His heroic nature has no choice but to accept; and so death takes a seat in a red velvet chair, crosses his leg and patiently waits.

This Winter 2009 (VII, 1) issue of Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self- Knowledge, entitled “Teaching Transformations 2009” and dedicated to the chronicling of representative experiences of teaching transformation in the New England area and elsewhere, brings together selected proceedings of the annual conferences of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching (CIT) and the New England Center for Inclusive Teaching (NECIT) recently held at UMass Boston. The first seven studies in the issue were gathered through the conference activities of NECIT. The second series of articles emerged from the conversations and presentations at the annual CIT conference at UMass Boston. The contributions have a common interest in advancing teaching and learning practices that transform the self and the world in favor of more just, inclusive, and participatory outcomes. The editors believe that the most central and distinguishing defining features of NECIT and CIT, i.e., the three-fold concerns with promoting pedagogical reflexivity, student learning empathy, and faculty agency, are well advocated for and respresented in the papers shared in this volume. Contributors include: Jay R. Dee (also as journal issue guest editor), Vivian Zamel (also as journal issue guest editor), Cheryl J. Daly, Maria Natalicia Rocha-Tracy, Darlene Ferguson-Russell, John Fobanjong, Patricia White, LeeAnn Griggs, Sally Barney, Janet Brown-Sederberg, Elizabeth Collins, Susan Keith, Lisa Iannacci, Kimberly Smirles, Ann Wetherilt, Melanie Murphy, Elijah Patterson, Janet D. Johnson, Elizabeth H. Rowell, Mary Ball Howkins, Duane Wright, Wayne-Daniel Berard, Alexandria Hallam, Anne Geiwitz, Matthew R. Kerzner, Angelika Festa, and Mohammad Tamdgidi (also as journal editor-in-chief). Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge is a publication of OKCIR: The Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research in Utopia, Mysticism, and Science (Utopystics). For more information about OKCIR and other issues in its journal’s Edited Collection as well as Monograph and Translation series visit OKCIR’s homepage.

"Billy Boy" is a humorous story about an altar boy growing up in a small New England town and the many conflicts he encounters along the way. When the mysteries of faith, sex, and the world around him were rationalized with a young mind and an imagination that ran wild within his head. When trying to stay one step ahead of his parents, teachers, and the law, he often found himself two steps behind. Although this mostly true tale takes place during the rock and roll era, it could have happened during any time period. This is a must read if you like to laugh, especially at adolescence.

“An impressive debut.”–Publishers Weekly ***International Book Awards Finalist — Best New Fiction*** They said you can’t take your money with you when you die. What if they were wrong? Srinath Adiga’s timely satire explores the pitfalls of modern capitalism and the dangerous power of myth. Hong Kong, 2002. A stock market trader desperate to pay off a gangster debt invents a scam: Afterlife Dollars. A product inspired by an ancient Chinese custom that allows people to buy their way into heaven. It’s the beginning of a dizzying chain reaction that ripples in Mumbai, where one man does the unthinkable to secure his afterlife—while thousands of miles away in Amsterdam, another man races against time to stop an apocalypse. As a cast of larger-than-life characters grapple with unprecedented moral dilemmas, their choices will affect the rest of humanity. Profound, exhilarating and full of unexpected twists, Dead Money balances intelligence and dark humour with compassion, empathy and hope. Its cleverness lies in its ability to convince us that the impossible can happen—a compelling, thought-provoking read at a time when the world stares at an uncertain future. “A memorable premise lifts Adiga’s impressive debut. Adiga makes the central conceit work as he effectively sends up the tendency of people to believe anything.”–Publishers Weekly “Exhilarating pace, intriguing proposition, and plenty of dark laughs: Dead Money’s the thriller I’ll be burning through in the afterlife.”–Kate Veitch, author of Without a Backward Glance and Trust “A unique and highly original story. If you’ve ever wondered about the rise of BitCoin or how money really works, you’ll enjoy this book.”–Sion Scott-Wilson, author of The Sleepwalker’s Introduction to Flight