The Bright Country

When Harry Middleton lost his job at a prominent magazine, it was but the beginning of what turned out to be a year marked by personal crisis. In the course of that year, as he searched for new work and battled severe depression, he eventually ended up in Denver, where he began exploring the high mountain country west of the city. For Middleton, the turning point in his long journey through life's dark side came with the discovery of a blind brown trout in a Rocky Mountain stream where Middleton spent his every spare moment feeding what he calls his "terrible addiction" to fly fishing. That bright river and the blind trout would assume a larger significance and become for him a metaphor for struggle and survival. Middleton's terms with life as it is, with the fits and starts of the human condition, seems always to involve trout and fly fishing. Middleton's books are dominated not only by memorable rivers and trout but also by some of literature's most colorful, comical, and fascinating people. The Bright Country is no exception. As we follow Middleton on his journey through the terrain of paradise and hell, we meet: Swami Bill, president and CEO of the Holistic Motor Court, Ashram & Coin Laundry in Boulder, Colorado; his main squeeze, the heartbreakingly beautiful Kiwi LaReaux; a short-order cook who spends his nights on the roof of a west Texas hotel looking at the night sky through a cracked telescope; there is the life and death of truth, Dr. truth; the seductive Mi Oh, hostess at the Now & Zen restaurant in Denver; and, of course, the blind brown trout in its blind eyes Middleton finds not dead shadows but living light.

A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2022 An exuberant, opinionated, stereotype-busting portrait of contemporary Africa in all its splendid diversity, by one of its leading new writers. So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. In this bold and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective, weaving a vibrant tapestry of stories that bring to life Africa’s rich diversity, communities, and histories. Starting with an immersive description of the lively and complex urban life of Lagos, Faloyin unearths surprising truths about many African countries’ colonial heritage and tells the story of the continent’s struggles with democracy through seven dictatorships. With biting wit, he takes on the phenomenon of the white savior complex and brings to light the damage caused by charity campaigns of the past decades, revisiting such cultural touchstones as the KONY 2012 film. Entering into the rivalries that energize the continent, Faloyin engages in the heated debate over which West African country makes the best jollof rice and describes the strange, incongruent beauty of the African Cup of Nations. With an eye toward the future promise of the continent, he explores the youth-led cultural and political movements that are defining and reimagining Africa on their own terms. The stories Faloyin shares are by turns joyful and enraging; proud and optimistic for the future even while they unequivocally confront the obstacles systematically set in place by former colonial powers. Brimming with humor and wit, filled with political insights, and, above all, infused with a deep love for the region, Africa Is Not a Country celebrates the energy and particularity of the continent’s different cultures and communities, treating Africa with the respect it deserves.

For years war and at times preventable scenarios have taken life, maimed others, crippled yet others mentally, physically and intellectually, if not spiritually, The T4 program, PTSD and all.... worldwide. For the authors generation, The 1970's brought in cholera, the 1980's brought in the AIDs/HIV scare, and then the unholy beverages, .... not without pioneering conspiracy theories to back them up Mayan.... illuminati conspiracies, Georgia guide stones and all types of fantasy. Would there be any survivors? The 20th century was dominated by ethnic, race, political and religious struggles and conflicts; the 21st century has vastly inherited the problem with a huge shift in attitude and preference, but in all this, what is the future for Persons with Disabilities in a world of alternative lifestyles, eugenics, euthanasia, acclaimed United Nations human rights and conventions? sequel to "The Bright Dark Nights Of The Soul" book - (2013) script, the author a recipient of the "Pro Ecclesia" gold medal award from the late Saint Pope John Paul II avails for posterity diaries and points for reflections on cultural and humanitarian perspectives impacting on aspects of existential crisis, search for meaning and purpose for persons with Disabilities deeper into the 21st century. With contributions and insights from Corporate social responsibility initiatives, scholars, clergy, custodians of persons with disabilities, persons who lived in the 19th and 20th century in Africa: Some who served in the American Peace Corps in 1960's Africa, encounters with so called - "natives" and "savages", War Veterans and members of the armed forces, multicultural religious and missionary icons, contemporary peace and outreach initiatives from international religious, secular and political leaders: Towards this end, a case study paper in the United States on a Disabilities outreach project in Africa is availed in Six language translations, French, Spanish, Portuguese, English and the Luo and kikuyu African Languages to hopefully stimulate further multicultural reflections and action in the diaspora communities towards persons with disabilities.

After a decade of severe fiscal crisis also impacting education, Greece is looking ahead. Now is the time to invest effectively in education and define a forward-looking path for Greece.

“For anyone who wants to understand how the African economy really works, The Bright Continent is a good place to start” (Reuters). Dayo Olopade knew from personal experience that Western news reports on conflict, disease, and poverty obscure the true story of modern Africa. And so she crossed sub-Saharan Africa to document how ordinary people deal with their daily challenges. She found what cable news ignores: a continent of ambitious reformers and young social entrepreneurs driven by kanju—creativity born of African difficulty. It’s a trait found in pioneers like Kenneth Nnebue, who turned cheap VHS tapes into the multimillion-dollar film industry Nollywood. Or Ushahidi, a technology collective that crowdsources citizen activism and disaster relief. A shining counterpoint to conventional wisdom, The Bright Continent rewrites Africa’s challenges as opportunities to innovate, and celebrates a history of doing more with less as a powerful model for the rest of the world. “[An] upbeat study of development in Africa . . . The book is written more in wonder at African ingenuity than in anger at foreign incomprehension.” —The New Yorker “A hopeful narrative about a continent on the rise.” —The New York Times Book Review

Definitive proof that Africa is *not* a country. A lively, entertaining and informative portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes. Over a billion people have been reduced to one simple story. Africa Is Not a Country fills in the gaps. So often Africa is depicted simplistically as a red landscape of safaris and famines. In this funny, insightful book Dipo Faloyin corrects this view to create a fresh and positive view of the continent. By turns intimate and political, he looks at buzzy urban life in Lagos and the lively West African rivalry over who makes the best jollof rice, before giving us the story of democracy in seven dictatorships, an insight into different regional accents and the colonial foundation of many countries which are still younger than your grandparents. We learn about the dangers of white saviours and the cultural significance of Aunties, and he provides us with a tour guide of where citizens of several African countries need to travel to visit their own cultural artefacts - 90% of which are in museums outside the continent. We immerse ourselves in the energy and fabric of many different cultures and communities as Dipo shows his deep love of the region - as a concept, as a promise and as a reality.

This book provides new ideas on how to work with and constructively transform shame on a theoretical and practical level, and in various socio-cultural contexts and professions. It provides practical guidelines on dealing with shame on the basis of reflection, counselling models, exercises, simulations, specific psychotherapeutic approaches, and auto-didactical learning material, so as to transform shame from a negatively experienced emotion into a mental health resource. The book challenges theorists to adopt an interdisciplinary stance and to think “outside the box.” Further, it provides practitioners, such as coaches, counsellors, therapists, trainers and medical personnel, with practical tools for transforming negative experiences and emotions. In brief, the book shows practitioners how to unlock the growth potential of individuals, teams, and organisations, allowing them to develop constructively and positively.