Driven by the desire to help her three-year-old daughter settle down into a peaceful night's sleep, Maureen Garth devised meditations that would help her daughter feel secure and cared for. Starbright is a collection of the stories Garth created as her child grew older. these innovative meditations are simple visualisations parents and teachers can read to their children to help them sleep, develop concentration, waken creativity, and learn to quiet themselves.

The only thing we can be absolutely sure of is our own consciousness. But what is consciousness? Is it a property that is unique to humans or do we share it with other life forms? Or is the philosophical doctrine of panpsychism correct--are stars and the entire Universe conscious in some sense? Early chapters in this book examine the prehistory, mythology, and history of this topic. Arguments are presented from the viewpoints of shamans, philosophers, poets, quantum physicists, and novelists. A simple "toy" model of panpsychism is then presented, in which a universal field of proto-consciousness interacts with molecular bonds via the vacuum fluctuation pressure of the Casimir effect. It is shown how this model is in congruence with an anomaly in stellar motions called "Parenago's discontinuity." Cool, redder, less massive stars such as the Sun apparently circle the center of the galaxy faster than their hotter, bluer, more massive sisters. This discontinuity occurs at the point in the stellar distribution where molecules begin to appear in stellar spectra. Observations of main sequence stars out to ~260 light years and giant stars out to >1000 light years using the ESA Hipparcos space observatory support the reality and nonlocality of Parenago's discontinuity. Local, more conventional explanations for this phenomena are not supported by observations of other galaxies and spiral arms of the Milky Way. If position and kinematics data for ~1 billion stars currently being obtained by the new ESA Gaia space observatory demonstrate that Parenago's discontinuity is a galaxy-wide phenomenon, the hypothesis that anomalistic star motion is due to stellar volition, as described by philosopher/author Olaf Stapledon in his classic novel Star Maker, will be strengthened, as previously discussed by the author in the peer-reviewed journal JBIS.Other observational support for panpsychism is considered as are future observational data that could support or falsify the hypothesis. It is not impossible that panpsychism is emerging from the realm of philosophy as a new subdivision of observational astronomy. Ramifications of this are that simple models of universal proto-consciousness may be subject to inductive tests using current and future space observatories.

Shows photographs of babies conveying their emotions through facial expressions.

The world has so much for children to explore and discover. There's no better way to see it all-and grow with healthy bodies and curious minds-than by getting outside and playing! Playing outside is fun to do with family or friends, and is a great opportunity to embrace new and exciting experiences. With this book, youngsters can discover many different ways to enjoy the outside-at a playground, in a park, in safe neighborhood streets, or in one's own backyard- including running, biking, swinging, hula-hooping, doing handstands, and exploring. There's no shortage of play activities to choose from!Featuring bright photos of children in motion from mixed backgrounds and abilities, this read-aloud book will inspire young ones everywhere to get outside and play in their surroundings. Author and play expert Pat Rumbaugh offers helpful resources to promote successful play, including suggested activities, play locations, and rules. Let's Play Outside! is a marvelous way to excite and encourage children and adults alike to get outside and play!

VERSE & RHYMES. Children and adults will fall in love with the adorable illustrations and sweet verse in these charming versions of the classic children's rhymes. Ages 0+

File note: the advent of sickness is always accompanied by the arrival of a possible cure. There will be born, of human beauty, a child without fear, known as the Bright Star... Dr Jacob Tietz People all over Claircomb are succumbing to a strange illness, thought to be a deadly new virus. But this is no virus - it is a life form so advanced that its intelligence makes a computer look like counting beads. It knows the prophecy, too, and it is hunting down the Bright Star - to destroy her forever. Can Starbright Connor, the town's tomboy and giggly dare-devil, be the chosen one who will save her beloved family? A thriller from the award-winning author of The Silent One, the Shadrach trilogy and Ticket to the Sky Dance.

The only thing we can be absolutely sure of is our own consciousness. But what is consciousness? Is it a property that is unique to humans or do we share it with other lifeforms? Or is the philosophical doctrine of panpsychism correct—are stars and the entire universe conscious in some sense? Early chapters in this book examine the prehistory, mythology, and history of this topic. Arguments are presented from the viewpoints of shamans, philosophers, poets, quantum physicists, and novelists. A simple “toy” model of panpsychism is then presented, in which a universal field of proto- consciousness interacts with molecular bonds via the vacuum fluctuation pressure of the Casimir Effect. It is shown how this model is in congruence with an anomaly in stellar motions called “Parenago’s Discontinuity.” Cool, redder, less massive stars such as the Sun apparently circle the center of the galaxy faster than their hotter, bluer, more massive sisters. This discontinuity occurs at the point in the stellar distribution where molecules begin to appear in stellar spectra. As described in the first edition of this book, observations of main sequence stars out to ~260 light years and giant stars out to >1,000 light years—using the ESA Hipparcos space observatory—support the reality and non-locality of Parenago’s Discontinuity. Local, more conventional explanations for this phenomenon are not supported by observations of other galaxies and the spiral arms of the Milky Way. Since 2014, the new ESA Gaia space observatory has been obtaining kinematics and position data for ~1 billion stars in our galaxy. The first Gaia data release in 2016 has been used in 2018 by a Russian team to demonstrate Parenago’s Discontinuity for a large stellar sample out to ~500 light years from the Sun. These observations support the hypothesis that anomalistic stellar motion is due to stellar volition, as described by philosopher/author Olaf Stapledon in his classic novel Star Maker, as previously discussed by the author in the peer-reviewed Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (JBIS). In light of the new Gaia observations and work by other researchers, it is not impossible that panpsychism is emerging from the realm of philosophy as a new subdivision of observational astronomy. Simple models of universal proto-consciousness may be subject to inductive tests using current and future space observatories. A special feature of this book is the chapter frontispiece art by C Bangs.