It's been six generations since the Scrooge Family had a truly evil member. Ebenezer is dead and buried, or so everyone thinks. Death thinks differently. The spirits of Christmas managed to extract the goodness buried deep inside Ebenezer, changing him to a kind and generous man to the end of his days. The Scrooges have continued to flourish down through the years, exuding kindness and happiness until the present day. Arthur and Natalie Scrooge had no inkling when they were blessed with the arrival of their daughter Edwina, or the distress their daughter would inflict upon them in the years to come. It was as if a dark family secret, resurrected from the past had created an hereditary fault in her DNA. Driven from an early age by greed and spite, Edwina quickly began to exhibit her ancestral uncle's former wicked ways. As she grew up, Edwina soon became well acquainted with the other dubious characters who dwelt in London's murky east end. years of scheming, swindling, moneylending and underworld dealings led to the culmination of her involvement in the disastrous north pole caper which saw her flee from Santa's toy factory, pursued by a herd of stampeding reindeer. Laying low back in Ebenezer's old counting house in Cornhill, Edwina is desperate for ideas to make a quick profit to save her from her murderous creditors. She seeks out Ebenezer's grave for inspiration and is alarmed to be confronted by Death, who is watching over him. despite her distress she learns about Ebenezer's hidden fortune. Meanwhile far away in an orphanage in Canada, Edwina's long lost cousin Olive is embarking on a journey of her own. With the help of her guardian Margaret she sets up a non-profit foundation and begins to be the voice and campaigner for the world's poor and oppressed. As she sets out to cross the Atlantic single handedly from New York to London in a small yacht, Edwina hits on a plan for a credit card scam and, having found Ebenezer's hidden fortune calls a meeting of fellow villains to discuss her plan. Unfortunately for her Mr Tchort the devil by another name, finds out and muscles in on the deal. Olive is tasked with rescuing Edwina from herself by her parents and with a party of her supporters, they band together to do battle with the forces of evil. There are demons and dead people. Beautiful goddesses and Dickensian characters who's bloodline has continued through the generations and still belong within the very fabric of London's east end. Will Olive save Edwina? who will be there to save Olive?

Successful storyboards and poignant characters have the power to make elusive thoughts and emotions tangible for audiences. Packed with illustrations that illuminate and a text that entertains and informs, Prepare to Board, 3rd edition presents the methods and techniques of animation master, Nancy Beiman, with a focus on pre-production, story development and character design. As one of the only storyboard titles on the market that explores the intersection of creative character design and storyboard development, the third edition is an invaluable resource for both beginner and intermediate artists. Key Features Adapt key techniques, tips and tricks of experienced character designers and storyboard artists with 30 years of experience to your film, television and animation projects. Save time and money with workflow solutions and avoid common mistakes and problems with troubleshooting tips. Implement creative solutions for your own projects with this invaluable resource for beginner and intermediate artists with examples of what a good storyboard and character design should look like and example of poorly designed storyboards. and tricks. Further your artistic skill development with an interactive, companion website which will includes video tutorials, examples of animatics and good and bad pitching techniques.

From the posterboy of Catholic conservatism, a major change of heart and soul on one of the Church's most controversial and intractable stances. "This past February, a conservative Roman Catholic blog, Contra|Diction, gave me perhaps my best headline ever: 'Michael Coren Complicit in Destruction of Souls Who Practice Homosexuality, Pt 1' (I'm still waiting for part two). It was one of countless posts, tweets, and articles that have condemned me for coming out in favour of same-sex marriage. I've also been fired from columns that I wrote for years, been banned from various Catholic TV and radio stations, had speeches cancelled, and been accused of cheating on my wife. My children have been called gay, and I have been compared to a child molester and a murderer. These are new experiences for me. Until last year, I was considered something of a champion of social conservatism in Canada and was well known among politically active Christians. I hosted a nightly show on Crossroads Television for twelve years, was a syndicated Sun columnist, and wrote briskly selling books with such titles as Why Catholics Are Right. Today, I am working away at a new book, Epiphany: Changing Heart and Mind on Same-Sex Marriage. How and why did it go so terribly wrong?" --Michael Coren What went "terribly wrong" is that Michael Coren had a profound spiritual and personal change of heart. Epiphany is about how and why that happened; the reaction from both sides of the fence; and how the Christian doctrine, when studied closely and without bias, heartily supports Michael's findings. As a middle-aged, very white, very straight, very Christian man, he was obliged, first reluctantly and then eagerly, to explore the complex dynamic between faith and homosexuality and to work out a new narrative. The crux of that narrative: God is love. Honest, brave, and rigorous in its scholarship, Epiphany is a groundbreaking book on one of society's most pressing issues.

This helpful one-volume commentary resource provides brief preaching commentaries and prayers for worship for the first Sunday in Advent through Epiphany of the Lord (Years A, B, and C). This book includes: lectionary readings for each Sunday and Holy Day in the season; three sermon briefs for each Sunday in Advent and the Sunday after Christmas; sermon briefs for Christmas, Christmas Eve, and the Day of Epiphany; creative prayers for each Sunday and Holy Day in the season; scripture index.

Kaye has crafted a sequel to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol, " picking up the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and revisiting familiar characters such as Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, and others, in an intricate tapestry of the real and the supernatural, as the reformed Scrooge tries to satisfy a nagging feeling of something yet undone.

A distinguished psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Irvin D. Yalom is also the United States' most well-known author of psychotherapy tales. His first volume of essays, Love's Executioner, became an immediate best seller, and his first novel, When Nietzsche Wept, continues to enjoy critical and popular success. Yalom has created a subgenre of literature, the "therapy story," where the therapist learns as much as, if not more than, the patient; where therapy never proceeds as expected; and where the therapist's apparent failure provesultimately to be a success. Writing the Talking Cure is the first book to explore all of Yalom's major writings. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Jeffrey Berman comments on Yalom's profound contributions to psychotherapy and literature and emphasizes the recurrent ideas that unify his writings: the importance of the therapeutic relationship, therapist transparency, here-and-now therapy, the prevalence of death anxiety, reciprocal healing, and the idea of the wounded healer. Throughout, Berman discusses what Yalom can teach therapists in particular and the common (and uncommon) reader in general.

The New Class Society introduces students to the sociology of class structure and inequalities as it asks whether or not the American dream has faded. The fourth edition of this powerful book demonstrates how and why class inequalities in the United States have been widened, hardened, and become more entrenched than ever. The fourth edition has been extensively revised and reorganized throughout, including a new introduction that offers an overview of key themes and shorter chapters that cover a wider range of topics. New material for the fourth edition includes a discussion of "The Great Recession" and its ongoing impact, the demise of the middle class, rising costs of college and increasing student debt, the role of electronic media in shaping people's perceptions of class, and more.

Winter takes us on an intimate tour of the artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, scientists and thinkers who helped shape a new and modern idea of winter. We learn how literature heralds the arrival of the middle class; how snow science leads to existential questions of God and our place in the world; how the race to the poles marks the human drive to imprint meaning on a blank space. Offering a kaleidoscopic take on the season, Winter is a homage to an idea of a season and a journey through the modern imagination.

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee: A study guide for the single mother. Written by a single mom to single moms.This guide tackles everyday issues that single mothers deal with every day. Society mistakenly confuses the single mother with single women. There certainly is a difference, single women only need to care for themselves. Single mothers have the responsiblity of a family. This book was written to encourage the single mother to become the mother and woman God has called her to be. She gives biblical principles applicable to help these moms raise their family. This guide tackles the real issues, such as forgiving the absent parent, time management, finances and much much more.