MAGIC APPLES is a daily reader with 366 reflections to mull. The topics are broad in scope with a liberal approach. Drawn from the authors experience as a teacher, parent, coach, musician and big kid, the reflections are an eclectic mix of food for thought. Every 6th day is a silly story intended to produce those healing endorphins we all need to keep our equilibrium. There are plenty of opportunities to laugh, cry and to agree or disagree. If you need to escape from autopilot and enhance your life-long learning skills, MAGIC APPLES should give you lots to chew on. If you desire a modern approach to traditional tales, new ways to love your fellowtravelers and the chance to laugh at the human condition, a magic apple each day will be to your delight.

In recent years, the traditional psychoanalytic view of the self as an autonomous entity has been shifting to a more relational perspective. This evolution from a solely intrapsychic stance brings psychoanalysis closer to the viewpoint of social psychology, formerly a highly divergent discipline. Bridging these different literatures, THE RELATIONAL SELF describes the extent and meaning of these convergences. The book is divided into four sections. The first two examine current perspectives from psychoanalytic self psychology and social psychology, and the latter two present an integration of psychoanalytic and social-personality approaches. Part One reviews the psychoanalytic theories of character "structure" that focus upon identity maintenance, self-esteem regulation, and resistance to change. Also presented is an interactional view of the self that explores the intersubjective context of intrapsychic experience. Part Two shifts from the largely unconscious intrapsychic self to the self as affected by situational variables. Considered here are the relationship between self-image and attitudes, the social categories deemed by people as important to their identity, and the effects of physical relocation upon self-concept change. Part Three presents a theory of the self with separate rational and experiential processing systems and also explores cultural influences on the self from a psychoanalytic vantage point. Part Four considers psychotherapy, self-verification, and self-concept change, including self-defeating behavior and self-consistency striving; the avoidance of self-awareness; self-evaluation maintenance; and self-with-other representations. Bringing together the work of leading theorists in social, psychoanalytic, and personality psychology on the interaction of self-organization with the social and physical environment, THE RELATIONAL SELF fosters a better understanding of both situational and dispositional variables and a deeper appreciation of the changing theoretical sense of a relational self as the ultimate stage of development.

"This book looks at the agricultural year as a starting point for a deepening of Earth-centered spirituality. It gives a set of back stories to ease the reader into a time between the pre-Industrial Era and the uncertainly of the modern one, into a place where the fast-moving stress of American life can be affected by a better connection to not only the natural world but also the pageantries of the year as expressed through seasonal festivals and celebrations"--

This extraordinary book contains in one unique volume, the most wide-ranging history of apples ever written and a detailed survey of over 2,000 of the world's apple varieties. Beautifully illustrated with 32 exquisite colour paintings, the last edition of this book received many accolades and was quickly recognised as a classic. Complete with a fully revised directory covering all the varieties of apple to be found in the world's largest apple collection, The New Book of Apples includes full historical, geographical and botanical details as well as tasting notes on each type of apple. Exploring the role of apples in cooking, cider making, gardening, myth and medicine, this is an indispensable reference guide.