Japanese animation, video games, and manga have attracted fans around the world. The characters, the stories, and the sensibilities that come out of these cultural products are together called Japan Cool. This is not a sudden fad, but is rooted in manga--Japanese comics--which since the mid-1940s have developed in an exponential way. In spite of a gradual decline in readership, manga still commands over a third of the publishing output. The volume of manga works that is being produced and has been through history is enormous. There are manga publications that attract readers of all ages and genders. The diversity in content attracts readers well into adulthood. Surveys on reading practices have found that almost all Japanese people read manga or have done so at some point in their lives. The skills of reading manga are learned by readers themselves, but learned in the context of other readers and in tandem with school learning. Manga reading practices are sustained by the practices of other readers, and manga content therefore serves as a topic of conversation for both families and friends. Moreover, manga is one of the largest sources of content for media production in film, television, and video games. Manga literacy, the practices of the readers, the diversity of titles, and the sheer number of works provide the basis for the movement recognized as Japan Cool. Reading Japan Cool is directed at an audience of students of Japanese studies, discourse analysts, educators, parents, and manga readers.

Readers learn how to create and present book reports with software applications.

A look at the engineering processes that go into designing protective clothing for heat and cold resistance.

Cool English is a 6-level contemporary version of Join In. • Characters and comic stories balance real and imaginary world. • A clear, systematic structure combined with vivid illustrations which stimulate the senses for better recall. • It adapts to the emotional and intellectual growth of the child and the characters also grow with the child. • Includes action stories based on Total Physical Response (TRP). • A variety of activities which stimulate the different forms of intelligence, especially musical and linguistic. • Use of phonetics throughout.

In a refreshingly clear-headed and informed approach to addiction, Bill Manville, noted writer and radio host of the popular talk show "Addictions and Answers," has compiled a list of 88 questions and answers from, "a ton of plain and fancy drunks and dopers" and their family and friends. Cool, Hip, and Sober offers valuable advice and information from his guests: noted psychiatrists, psychologists, rehab counselors, MDs, academics and more. Here, in first-person detail, are responses to the issues faced by alcoholics, addicts, and their loved ones, such as: * How can I stop for good today? * How can I tell if someone I love will relapse? * Alcholism . . . addiction . . . and sex * Do interventions really work? And how do I set up one? * How do I find the best rehab for me? * The many faces of denial * Is alcoholism inherited? * And much, much more . . . A brave, transformational look at the treatment of chemical dependency, Cool, Hip & Sober is a captivating, insightful and essential handbook for overcoming denial and achieving a peaceful, long-term recovery.

Nation branding is the most recent feature of imagined nation-making in the history of nations. Facing global competition, national decision-makers aim to distinguish their countries from others by means of branding. Quite a few nations have considered the term ‘cool’ suitable for describing some essence of their country’s brand. Cool Nations. Media and the Social Imaginary of the Branded Country traces the mediated ways in which the transnational idea of "cool" has circulated from popular culture, fashion, and marketing into describing nations. The book explores the commodification of the nation, the shift to a promotional political culture, and the role of media in contributing to the circulation of the idea of the Cool Nation. The social imaginary of nation branding takes its theory and practices from marketing, unlike earlier imaginations based on ideas of democracy or citizenship. Cool Nations argues that "cool" is one of the vehicles through which the commodification of nations takes place.

Cool English is a 6-level contemporary version of Join In. • A clear structure combined with vivid illustrations which stimulate the senses for better recall. • It adapts to the emotional and intellectual growth of the child and the characters also grow with the child. • A variety of activities which stimulate the different forms of intelligence, especially musical and linguistic. • Cultural themes which introduce some customs of English-speaking countries. The pupils learn to respect cultural differences. • Use of phonetics throughout.