In a small Texas town, the elderly residents of a sixty-two-plus active apartment complex enjoy affordable rent, a daily continental breakfast buffet, and a Wednesday evening happy hour. While the complex’s brochure sells a paradise atmosphere, in reality it feels more like a satire. While some of the residents rebel against the strict rules such as no smoking, no burning candles in the apartments, no children in the gym area, and more, others adjust and are considerate of others. As the retirees go about their days, one trips and falls unconscious while on his way to buy beer. When a deputy stops to help, the resident only wants to know if his beer bottle is broken. A female resident in her prime at ninety years dresses up in her finest to kiss random older male residents on the cheek. When the activities director approaches her about the kissing, she plants one right on his lips. As prospective residents are solicited and tour the facility, the retirees, always up for a new adventure, must endure unthinkable occurrences and a conclusion no one saw coming. Paradise 62 follows the lives of the residents of a Texas retirement apartment complex as they navigate through the challenges and fun that a new adventure brings.

Contemplative reading is a spiritual practice developed by Christian monks in sixth- and seventh-century Mesopotamia. Mystics belonging to the Church of the East pursued a form of contemplation which moved from reading, to meditation, to prayer, to the ecstasy of divine vision. The Library of Paradise tells the story of this Syriac tradition in three phases: its establishment as an ascetic practice, the articulation of its theology, and its maturation and spread. The sixth-century monastic reform of Abraham of Kashkar codified the essential place of reading in East Syrian ascetic life. Once established, the practice of contemplative reading received extensive theological commentary. Abraham's successor Babai the Great drew upon the ascetic system of Evagrius of Pontus to explain the relationship of reading to the monk's pursuit of God. Syriac monastic handbooks of the seventh century built on this Evagrian framework. 'Enanisho' of Adiabene composed an anthology called Paradise that would stand for centuries as essential reading matter for Syriac monks. Dadisho' of Qatar wrote a widely copied commentary on the Paradise. Together, these works circulated as a one-volume library which offered readers a door to "Paradise" through contemplation. The Library of Paradise is the first book-length study of East Syrian contemplative reading. It adapts methodological insights from prior scholarship on reading, including studies on Latin lectio divina. By tracing the origins of East Syrian contemplative reading, this study opens the possibility for future investigation into its legacies, including the tradition's long reception history in Sogdian, Arabic, and Ethiopic monastic libraries.

This one-stop reference is a perfect resource for anyone interested in the North and South Poles, whether their interest relates to history, wildlife, or the geography of these regions in the news today. Global warming, a hot topic among scholars of geography and science, has led to increased interest in studying the earth's polar ice caps, which seem to be melting at an alarming rate. This accessible, two-volume encyclopedia lays a foundation for understanding global warming and other issues related to the North and South Poles. Approximately 350 alphabetically arranged, user-friendly entries treat key terms and topics, important expeditions, major figures, territorial disputes, and much more. Readers will find information on the explorations of Cook, Scott, Amundsen, and Peary; articles on humpback whales, penguins, and polar bears; and explanations of natural phenomena like the Aurora Australis and the polar night. Expedition tourism is covered, as is climate change. Ideal for high school and undergraduate students studying geography, social studies, history, and earth science, the encyclopedia will provide a better understanding of these remote and unfamiliar lands and their place in today's world.

James Dashiell (1634-1697), son of James Dashiell and Margaret Inglis, was born Scotland and immigrated from England to Northumberland County, Virginia in 1653. He married Ann Cannon in 1659, and moved to Somerset County, Maryland in 1663. Descendants and relatives lived in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Louisiana, California, Washington and elsewhere. Includes some ancestry and family history in England, Scotland, France and elsewhere.