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| phyllis siefker: Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men Phyllis Siefker, 1997-01-01 Much of the modern-day vision of Santa Claus is owed to the Clement Moore poem The Night Before Christmas. His description of Saint Nicholas personified the jolly old elf known to millions of children throughout the world. However, far from being the offshoot of Saint Nicholas of Turkey, Santa Claus is the last of a long line of what scholars call Wild Men who were worshipped in ancient European fertility rites and came to America through Pennsylvania's Germans. This pagan creature is described from prehistoric times through his various forms--Robin Hood, The Fool, Harlequin, Satan and Robin Goodfellow--into today's carnival and Christmas scenes. In this thoroughly researched work, the origins of Santa Claus are found to stretch back over 50,000 years, jolting the foundation of Christian myths about the jolly old elf. |
| phyllis siefker: I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts Mark Dery, 2012-04-06 From the cultural critic Wired called “provocative and cuttingly humorous” comes a viciously funny, joltingly insightful collection of drive-by critiques of contemporary America where chaos is the new normal. Exploring the darkest corners of the national psyche and the nethermost regions of the self—the gothic, the grotesque, and the carnivalesque—Mark Dery makes sense of the cultural dynamics of the American madhouse early in the twenty-first century. Here are essays on the pornographic fantasies of Star Trek fans, Facebook as Limbo of the Lost, George W. Bush’s fear of his inner queer, the theme-parking of the Holocaust, the homoerotic subtext of the Super Bowl, the hidden agendas of IQ tests, Santa’s secret kinship with Satan, the sadism of dentists, Hitler’s afterlife on YouTube, the sexual identity of 2001’s HAL, the suicide note considered as a literary genre, the surrealist poetry of robot spam, the zombie apocalypse, Lady Gaga, the Church of Euthanasia, toy guns in the dream lives of American boys, and the polymorphous perversity of Madonna’s big toe. Dery casts a critical eye on the accepted order of things, boldly crossing into the intellectual no-fly zones demarcated by cultural warriors on both sides of America’s ideological divide: controversy-phobic corporate media, blinkered academic elites, and middlebrow tastemakers. Intellectually omnivorous and promiscuously interdisciplinary, Dery’s writing is a generalist’s guilty pleasure in an age of nanospecialization and niche marketing. From Menckenesque polemics on American society and deft deconstructions of pop culture to unflinching personal essays in which Dery turns his scalpel-sharp wit on himself, I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts is a head-spinning intellectual ride through American dreams and American nightmares. |
| phyllis siefker: Manheimer's Cataloging and Classification, Revised and Expanded Jerry Saye, 1999-09-09 This work has been revised and updated to include the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (2nd ed), the Dewey Decimal System Classification (21st ed) and the Library of Congress Classification Schedules. The text details the essential elements of the International Standard Bibliographic Description; introduces the associated OCLC/MARC specifications; and more. The downloadable resources give more than 500 PowerPoint slides and graphics identical to the text, in addition to scans of the title page, and title page verso and other illustrations that support examples from Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (2nd ed). |
| phyllis siefker: The Sacred Santa Dell deChant, 2008-04-24 |
| phyllis siefker: Made by Taiwan Po-Lung Yu, Junyan Zhang, 2001 Many nations and states have tried to build successful technological industries, but failed. Taiwan is an exception. Indeed, it is the third-largest production center for integrated circuits and personal computers. How has Taiwan made it, and how to do business successfully with Taiwan? This book aims to provide answers to those questions and to share the successful experience of Taiwan with others. If Taiwan could make it, then other nations, by learning from its experiences and patterns of development, can also make it, or even excel Taiwan. The book presents historical and analytical views covering most aspects of Taiwan's development patterns, including innovations of management and technology, production and business infrastructures, capital and human resources, education and government policies, and competitive characteristics of people and cultures. |
| phyllis siefker: The Upright Man Michael Marshall, 2004 Running from a horrifying evil that he encountered in the high plains of the Columbia River, Wade Hopkins leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake as he fights to survive. Original. |
| phyllis siefker: The Shadow of Solomon Laurence Gardner, 2007-03-31 What ancient mystery lies behind the creation of Freemasonry- a lost secret so powerful that the Brotherhood itself has been on a quest to find it for three hundred years? For those of us lacking the resources to excavate occult secrets hidden beneath the Louvre or the Rosslyn Chapel, or within CIA Headquarters, The Shadow of Solomon is the next best thing. These pages reveal the true secrets of Solomon, from masonry to magic. Laurence Gardner's personal experience as both a Templar and a mason makes this fascinating journey through the history of the Bible, Knights Templar, Freemasons, and everything that followed all the more striking and immediate. Is it an accident that the world's attention should be turned to these men and their strange lexicon of symbols and secrets RIGHT NOW? What will happen when we understand that there is something we all have in common that is greater than nation or religion? Freemasons are often said to be the world's most influential secret society, yet the story of this enigmatic fraternity is wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Their involvement in shaping political world events has stretched over centuries, even to the extent that masonic principles lie beneath the establishment of the United States and its Constitution. The Shadow of Solomon is the definitive insider's account of the startling truth behind masonic history and the centuries-long search that the fraternity has undertaken to find its own lost secrets. |
| phyllis siefker: Bigfoot Paul Glover, 2023-06-15 The mystery of Bigfoot has endured for generations, folklore has touched on this through the centuries and yet we have not come any closer to recognising this phenomenon as a reality. How can this be when countless numbers of people have witnessed these incredible beings? Even in the United Kingdom there have been many reports, including modern day encounters. Are all these witnesses mad or is there some truth behind this myth? The Green Man adorns many Medieval Churches and Cathedrals dotted around the British countryside.... but what do they all mean? This whole mystery has stretched through hundreds of years, and across different continents, so isn't it about time that we can get some answers? A 10 year journey has culminated in some explosive revelations that will throw some light upon this enduring mystery. For example: what has William Shakespeare got to do with Bigfoot? And did Charles Dickens even carry on with this storyline? And one of the most iconic fictional characters celebrated around the world will come under the spotlight and their true origins will be revealed. But is this a fictional character or one based upon a folklore reality? And does that historical reality live on into the modern world? Thought provoking statements will be made that will get you thinking about the things that you accepted since childhood. Will Christmas ever feel the same again after reading this book? Is Bigfoot just a Fairy Tale or is there a magical world out there that we are only just starting to explore? Fairy Tale or a Tale that has links to historical references to Fairies? You be the judge, but as they say, seeing is believing and that is exactly what this book will offer some the chance of doing. Your own journey into the Bigfoot World starts right here.... |
| phyllis siefker: Christmas Tara Moore, 2014-09-15 Black Friday. The War on Christmas. Miracle on 34th Street and Elf. From shopping malls and Fox News to movie theaters, Christmas no longer solely celebrates to the birth of Christ. Considering the holiday in its global context, Christmas journeys from its historical origins to its modern incarnation as a global commercial event, stopping along the way to look at the controversies and traditions of the celebratory day. Delving into the long story of this unifying but also divisive holiday, Tara Moore describes the evolution of Christmas and the deep traditions that bind a culture to its version of it. She probes the debates that have long accompanied the season—from questions of the actual date of Christ’s birth to frictions between the sacred and the secular—and discusses the characters associated with the holiday’s celebration, including Saint Nicholas, the Magi, Scrooge, and Krampus. She also explores how customs such as Christmas trees, feasting, and gift giving first emerged and became central facets of the holiday, while also examining how Christmas has been portrayed in culture—from the literary works of Charles Dickens to the yearly bout of holiday films, television specials, traditional carols, and modern tracks. Ultimately, Moore reveals, Christmas’s longevity has depended on its ability to evolve. Packed with illustrations, Christmas is a fascinating look at the holiday we only think we know. |
| phyllis siefker: Dutch Racism Philomena Essed, Isabel Hoving, 2014-03-01 Dutch Racism is the first comprehensive study of its kind. The approach is unique, not comparative but relational, in unraveling the legacy of racism in the Netherlands and the (former) colonies. Authors contribute to identifying the complex ways in which racism operates in and beyond the national borders, shaped by European and global influences, and intersecting with other systems of domination. Contrary to common sense beliefs it appears that old-fashioned biological notions of “race” never disappeared. At the same time the Netherlands echoes, if not leads, a wider European trend, where offensive statements about Muslims are an everyday phenomenon. Dutch Racism challenges readers to question what happens when the moral rejection of racism looses ground. The volume captures the layered nature of Dutch racism through a plurality of registers, methods, and disciplinary approaches: from sociology and history to literary analysis, art history and psychoanalysis, all different elements competing for relevance, truth value, and explanatory power. This range of voices and visions offers illuminating insights in the two closely related questions that organize this book: what factors contribute to the complexity of Dutch racism? And why is the concept of racism so intensely contested? The volume will speak to audiences across the humanities and social sciences and can be used as textbook in undergraduate as well as graduate courses. Philomena Essed is professor of Critical Race, Gender and Leadership studies, Antioch University (USA), PhD in Leadership and Change Program. Her books and edited volumes include Everyday Racism; Understanding Everyday Racism, Race Critical Theories; A Companion to Gender Studies (“outstanding” 2005 CHOICE award); and, Clones, Fakes and Posthumans: Cultures of Replication. Isabel Hoving is diversity officer at the Leiden University and affiliated with the Department of Film and Literary Studies of Leiden University. Her books include In Praise of New Travellers, Veranderingen van het alledaagse, and several other volumes on migration, Caribbean literatures, African literature and art. In addition to her academic work, she is an awarded youth writer. |
| phyllis siefker: STORMING THE GATES Dale Headley, 2014-05-16 The author, a recipient of the U.S. Jaycees Distinguished Service award, grew up happily in L.A. he received his B.A. from Whittier College and taught in Whittier, California for 36 years. He is retired, even more happily, in Running Springs, California and is currently one of the top senior marathoners in the U.S.; a USA Track & Field All-American; and a Sierra Club hiking guide. He was a fitness and science columnist for Alpheron News; wrote What’re We Doin’ for P.E.?, Wolfskill (mystery novel), and Genesis Notes (humor); and he has published magazine articles. |
| phyllis siefker: Forms of English History in Literature, Landscape, and Architecture J. Twyning, 2012-10-15 An exploration of the way English literature has interacted with architectural edifices and the development of landscape as a national style from the Middle Ages to the 19th Century. Analyzing texts in relation to cultural artefacts, each chapter demonstrates the self-conscious production of English consciousness as its most enduring history. |
| phyllis siefker: Christmas Adam C. English, 2016-10-14 Christmas cheers the birth of Christ with a fresh look at the festive season. English engages the rich theological and biblical themes of Advent as well as family traditions, popular carols, and legends of the holidays. Topics range from a theology of the incarnation of the Word, the role of Mary, the historical origin of December 25, the significance of Bethlehem and the star, the plight of the holy family in a hostile world, and the place of American pop icons like Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, and Buddy the Elf. Christmas brims with anticipation. |
| phyllis siefker: Trials of the Moon Ben Whitmore, 2010 The 'creation myths' of modern witchcraft and Paganism were decisively toppled at the turn of this century in Ronald Hutton's celebrated book, Triumph of the Moon. But did Hutton topple more than just myths? Are some truths also hidden in the rubble? Did paganism really die out centuries ago? Was witchcraft really no more than a fantasy? Were the Gods of Wicca really born out of the Romantic movement? Did Gerald Gardner lie about his initiation into witchcraft? Ben Whitmore has retraced many of Hutton's steps, critically evaluating the evidence, and he now suggests that the truth may be quite different and even more fascinating. Drawing on a wealth of scholarly material, Whitmore demonstrates that the field of Pagan history is anything but barren ground - it is rich and fertile, and we have barely begun to cultivate it. |
| phyllis siefker: Forgotten Worlds Patrick Chouinard, 2012-05-29 An examination of the mythological, historical, and archaeological evidence for lost civilizations throughout the world • Explores unexplained mysteries such as the Caucasian mummies of China, the pyramids of Caral in Peru, and the genetically unique X-woman of Siberia • Examines evidence of lost, ancient civilizations in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, including extensive investigation into Atlantis • Shows that Siberia and the Amazon may have been cradles of humanity before Africa Over and over again, mainstream views of early history--which state that the first civilizations arose around 3500 BCE--are plagued by evidence of much older civilizations, evidence ranging from artifacts and inexplicable remains to pyramids and ubiquitous myths that clearly speak of great empires prior to the rise of the Sumerian city states and pharaonic Egypt. Viewing Atlantis and its many related myths as a metaphor for a long-lost global civilization, Patrick Chouinard explores the mythological, cultural, religious, and archaelogical evidence for many forgotten civilizations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He addresses unexplained mysteries from around the world, such as Caucasian mummies found in China, the pyramids of Caral in Peru, the “hobbit” remains on Flores Island, the giant heads of Easter Island, the lost legacy of Lemuria, the ideology and occult mysticism behind Nazi theory, and the genetically unique X-woman of Siberia. He also examines evidence of ancient alien visits and other supernatural phenomena in the distant past. Using recent archaeological findings, he shows that Siberia and the Amazon may have been cradles of humanity millennia before Africa. Sounding the call to continue searching ancient, remote, and formerly forbidden regions for lost cultures and genetic root races, Chouinard offers a new chronology for the emergence of human life and civilization as well as a new mechanism for how and why societies and species change over time. By finding lost peoples and their forgotten worlds, we can truly begin to understand the human race and learn from its long history. |
| phyllis siefker: Bigfoot Joshua Blu Buhs, 2009-08-01 Last August, two men in rural Georgia announced that they had killed Bigfoot. The claim drew instant, feverish attention, leading to more than 1,000 news stories worldwide—despite the fact that nearly everyone knew it was a hoax. Though Bigfoot may not exist, there’s no denying Bigfoot mania. With Bigfoot, Joshua Blu Buhs traces the wild and wooly story of America’s favorite homegrown monster. He begins with nineteenth-century accounts of wildmen roaming the forests of America, treks to the Himalayas to reckon with the Abominable Snowman, then takes us to northern California in 1958, when reports of a hairy hominid loping through remote woodlands marked Bigfoot’s emergence as a modern marvel. Buhs delves deeply into the trove of lore and misinformation that has sprung up around Bigfoot in the ensuing half century. We meet charlatans, pseudo-scientists, and dedicated hunters of the beast—and with Buhs as our guide, the focus is always less on evaluating their claims than on understanding why Bigfoot has inspired all this drama and devotion in the first place. What does our fascination with this monster say about our modern relationship to wilderness, individuality, class, consumerism, and the media? Writing with a scientist’s skepticism but an enthusiast’s deep engagement, Buhs invests the story of Bigfoot with the detail and power of a novel, offering the definitive take on this elusive beast. |
| phyllis siefker: Organizing Christmas Philip Hancock, 2023-08-11 Organizing Christmas is an exploration of the organizational character of Christmas. Taking as its starting point the view that Christmas initially achieved popularity due to its potential to promote social cohesion and political stability, this book both charts and scrutinizes its global emergence as the year's preeminent economic and organizational event. Combining historical narrative, original interviews, and social scientific research and theories, it tells the story of how Christmas has come to dominate the festival landscape and how it emerged as an integral component of the global evolution of contemporary social and economic relations. From the pre-Christian celebrations and politics of the turning of the calendar year, through the power games of Elizabethan England and the wily reinvention of the season by industrious Victorians, to today’s huge economic and logistical exercise that relies on everything from global supply chains to the domestic division of labour, Organizing Christmas demonstrates how the season exemplifies the spirit and practices of industrial, and now post-industrial, modernity. As well as documenting this fact, however, Organizing Christmas also critically interrogates what has become a vast festive-industrial complex. From low-paid factory workers in Yiwu to Santa Claus performers in Kingston, readers are given a chance to consider what the cost of this global festival might be and whether it is a price worth paying. Drawing on intellectual resources ranging from Adorno and Horkheimer’s classic critique of the culture industry, thorough Böhme’s analysis of the sociomaterial production of atmospheres, to Bloch’s ‘principle of hope’, it paints a picture of Christmas as a profoundly important, if deeply contested historical, cultural and, most significantly, organizational phenomenon. Aimed at students and academics in Organization Studies, Cultural Studies, and the Sociology of Work and Employment, as well as the general reader interested in the festive season, Organizing Christmas offers a differing perspective on a subject so familiar and yet so often overlooked. |
| phyllis siefker: Santa Claus Gerry Bowler, 2011-07-27 An entertaining, often surprising look at the life of the world’s most influential fictional character. He is the embodiment of charity and generosity, a creation of mythology, a tool of clever capitalists. The very idea of him is enduring and powerful. Santa Claus was born in early-nineteenth-century America, but his family tree goes back seven hundred years to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Intervening generations were shaggy and strange — whip-wielding menaces to naughty boys and girls. Yet as the raucous, outdoor, alcohol-fuelled holiday gave way to a more domestic, sentimental model, a new kind of gift-bringer was called for — a loveable elf, still judgmental but far less threatening. In this engaging social and cultural history, Gerry Bowler examines the place of Santa Claus in history, literature, advertising, and art. He traces his metamorphosis from a beardless youth into a red-suited peddler. He reveals the lesser-known aspects of the gift-bringer’s life — Santa’s involvement with social and political causes of all stripes (he enlisted on the Union side in the American Civil War), his starring role in the movies and as adman for gun-makers and insurance companies. And he demolishes the myths surrounding Santa Claus and Coca-Cola. Santa Claus: A Biography will stand as the classic work on the long-lived and multifarious Mr. Claus. |
| phyllis siefker: Bad Santas: Disquieting Winter Folk Tales for Grown-Ups Paul Hawkins, 2013-10-24 A gleefully dark and well-researched exploration of the history and customs of European Yuletide folklore. How did St Nicholas save children from cannibalism? Who were the Yule Lads and why would they steal your sausages? Why was the Alpine Father Christmas accompanied by a demonic figure called the Krampus who bundled children into sacks and dragged them off to Hell? And why do Spanish nativity scenes often feature a defecating peasant? Over the course of the 20th Century, a universal image developed around the world of Santa Claus as a kindly Christmas visitor but, prior to that, each country, town and community would have Christmas visitors of their own - sometimes human, sometimes animal, sometimes something else entirely - with their own curious set of mythology and customs. The Finns were visited by a pagan goat named Joulupukki that was said to eat anyone who misbehaved. In Iceland, it was said that any child who did not receive an item of new clothing for Christmas would be caught and consumed by the monstrous Christmas Cat! Bad Santascelebrates some of the most imaginative, terrifying and outright curious Christmas figures from across Europe - looking closely at its legacy of disquieting fairy stories. With beautiful black and white line drawings in each chapter, this unusual, entertaining and gleefully dark exploration of seasonal folklore will make an ideal Christmas gift and the perfect book for reading around the fireside. |
| phyllis siefker: Santa Claus Worldwide Tom A. Jerman, 2020-05-01 This is a comprehensive history of the world's midwinter gift-givers, showcasing the extreme diversity in their depictions as well as the many traits and functions these characters share. It tracks the evolution of these figures from the tribal priests who presided over winter solstice celebrations thousands of years before the birth of Christ, to Christian notables like St. Martin and St. Nicholas, to a variety of secular figures who emerged throughout Europe following the Protestant Reformation. Finally, it explains how the popularity of a poem about a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer helped consolidate the diverse European gift-givers into an enduring tradition in which American children awake early on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought. Although the names, appearance, attire and gift-giving practices of the world's winter solstice gift-givers differ greatly, they are all recognizable as Santa, the personification of the Christmas and Midwinter festivals. Despite efforts to eliminate him by groups as diverse as the Puritans of seventeenth century New England, the Communist Party of the twentieth century Soviet Union and the government of Nazi Germany, Santa has survived and prospered, becoming one of the best known and most beloved figures in the world. |
| phyllis siefker: Weekly World News , 2000-09-19 Rooted in the creative success of over 30 years of supermarket tabloid publishing, the Weekly World News has been the world's only reliable news source since 1979. The online hub www.weeklyworldnews.com is a leading entertainment news site. |
| phyllis siefker: How Christmas Became Christmas Nathaniel Parry, 2022-10-31 In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday. This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday's core character. By tracing Christmas's origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe's Christianization, this history explains that the true reason for the season has as much to do with the earth's movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas's magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs. |
| phyllis siefker: Encyclopedia of Blacks in European History and Culture Eric Martone, 2008-12-08 Blacks have played a significant part in European civilization since ancient times. This encyclopedia illuminates blacks in European history, literature, and popular culture. It emphasizes the considerable scope of black influence in, and contributions to, European culture. The first blacks arrived in Europe as slaves and later as laborers and soldiers, and black immigrants today along with others are transforming Europe into multicultural states. This indispensable set expands our knowledge of blacks in Western civilization. More than 350 essay entries introduce students and other readers to the white European response to blacks in their countries, the black experiences and impact there, and the major interactions between Europe and Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States that resulted in the settling of blacks in Europe. The range of information presented is impressive, with entries on noted European political, literary, and cultural figures of black descent from ancient times to the present, major literary works that had a substantial impact on European perceptions of blacks, black holidays and festivals, the struggle for civil equality for blacks, the role and influence of blacks in contemporary European popular culture, black immigration to Europe, black European identity, and much more. Offered as well are entries on organizations that contributed to the development of black political and social rights in Europe, representations of blacks in European art and cultural symbols, and European intellectual and scientific theories on blacks. Individual entries on Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Central Europe, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe include historical overviews of the presence and contributions of blacks and discussion of country's role in the African slave trade and abolition and its colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. Suggestions for further reading accompany each entry. A chronology, resource guide, and photos complement the text. |
| phyllis siefker: The Oxford Handbook of Christmas , 2020-10-21 The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary account of all aspects of Christmas across the globe, from the specifically religious to the purely cultural. The contributions are drawn from a distinguished group of international experts from across numerous disciplines, including literary scholars, theologians, historians, biblical scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, art historians, and legal experts. The volume provides authoritative treatments of a range of topics, from the origins of Christmas to the present; decorating trees to eating plum pudding; from the Bible to contemporary worship; from carols to cinema; from the Nativity Story to Santa Claus; from Bethlehem to Japan; from Catholics to Baptists; from secularism to consumerism. Christmas is the biggest celebration on the planet. Every year, a significant percentage of the world's population is drawn to this holiday—from Cape Cod to Cape Town, from South America to South Korea, and on and on across the globe. The Christmas season takes up a significant part of the entire year. For many countries, the holiday is a major force in their national economy. Moreover, Christmas is not just a modern holiday, but has been an important feast for most Christians since the fourth century and a dominant event in many cultures and countries for over a millennium. The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides an invaluable reference point for anyone interested in this global phenomenon. |
| phyllis siefker: Winter Adam Gopnik, 2011 Collects the thoughts and perspectives of artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, and scientists on the season of winter, from reflections on snow and God to the future of northern culture. |
| phyllis siefker: Christmas in Germany Joe Perry, 2010-09-27 For poets, priests, and politicians--and especially ordinary Germans--in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the image of the loving nuclear family gathered around the Christmas tree symbolized the unity of the nation at large. German Christmas was supposedly organic, a product of the winter solstice rituals of pagan Teutonic tribes, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, and the age-old customs that defined German character. Yet, as Joe Perry argues, Germans also used these annual celebrations to contest the deepest values that held the German community together: faith, family, and love, certainly, but also civic responsibility, material prosperity, and national belonging. This richly illustrated volume explores the invention, evolution, and politicization of Germany's favorite national holiday. According to Perry, Christmas played a crucial role in public politics, as revealed in the militarization of War Christmas during World War I and World War II, the Nazification of Christmas by the Third Reich, and the political manipulation of Christmas during the Cold War. Perry offers a close analysis of the impact of consumer culture on popular celebration and the conflicts created as religious, commercial, and political authorities sought to control the holiday's meaning. By unpacking the intimate links between domestic celebration, popular piety, consumer desires, and political ideology, Perry concludes that family festivity was central in the making and remaking of public national identities. |
| phyllis siefker: The Old Magic of Christmas Linda Raedisch, 2013-10-08 'Tis the Season for Witches, Elves, and a Legion of Ghosts Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen. Along the way, you'll discover how to bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and craft instructions, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Praise: Steeped in history and adorned with a bit of enchantment, The Old Magic of Christmas is the perfect book to read by a winter's fire with a mug of mulled cider in hand.—Deborah Blake, author of The Witch's Broom ...[A] fascinating journey into the stories behind the tinsel and bows.—Doreen Shababy, author of The Wild & Weedy Apothecary ...[A]n intriguing little tome that explores the darker side of the Yuletide holiday.—Ellen Dugan, author of The Enchanted Cat |
| phyllis siefker: Child Autonomy and Child Governance in Children's Literature Christopher Kelen, Bjorn Sundmark, 2016-11-18 This book explores representations of child autonomy and self-governance in children’s literature.The idea of child rule and child realms is central to children’s literature, and childhood is frequently represented as a state of being, with children seen as aliens in need of passports to Adultland (and vice versa). In a sense all children’s literature depends on the idea that children are different, separate, and in command of their own imaginative spaces and places. Although the idea of child rule is a persistent theme in discussions of children’s literature (or about children and childhood) the metaphor itself has never been properly unpacked with critical reference to examples from those many texts that are contingent on the authority and/or power of children. Child governance and autonomy can be seen as natural or perverse; it can be displayed as a threat or as a promise. Accordingly, the child rule-motif can be seen in Robinsonades and horror films, in philosophical treatises and in series fiction. The representations of self-ruling children are manifold and ambivalent, and range from the idyllic to the nightmarish. Contributors to this volume visit a range of texts in which children are, in various ways, empowered, discussing whether childhood itself may be thought of as a nationality, and what that may imply. This collection shows how representations of child governance have been used for different ideological, aesthetic, and pedagogical reasons, and will appeal to scholars of children’s literature, childhood studies, and cultural studies. |
| phyllis siefker: Consumption and Spirituality Diego Rinallo, Linda M. Scott, Pauline Maclaran, 2013 This book sheds light on the consumption of spiritual products, services, experiences, and places through state-of-the-art studies by leading and emerging scholars in interpretive consumer research, marketing, sociology, anthropology, cultural, and religious studies. The collection brings together fresh views and scholarship on a cultural tension that is at the centre of the lives of countless individuals living in postmodern societies: the relationship between the material and the spiritual, the sacred and the profane. The book examines how a variety of agents - religious institutions, spiritual leaders, marketers and consumers - interact and co-create spiritual meanings in a post-disenchanted society that has been defined as a 'supermarket of the soul.' Consumption and Spirituality examines not only religious organizations, but also brands and marketers and the way they infuse their products, services and experiences with spiritual meanings that flow freely in the circuit of culture and can be appropriated by consumers even without purchase acts. From a consumer perspective, the book investigates how spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences are now embedded into a global consumer culture. Rather than condemning consumption, the chapters in this book highlight consumers' agency and the creative processes through which authentic spiritual meanings are co-created from a variety of sources, local and global, and sacred and profane alike. |
| phyllis siefker: Llewellyn's 2016 Sabbats Almanac Llewellyn, 2015-09-01 Make the most of each season of the Witches’ year with Llewellyn’s Sabbats Almanac. Packed with rituals, rites, recipes, and crafts, this essential guide offers fun and fresh ways to celebrate the eight sacred Wiccan holidays—and enrich your spiritual life throughout the year. Get a unique perspective on honoring the Wheel of the Year from your favorite Wiccan and Pagan authors. Plan spiritually uplifting celebrations and sustainable seasonal activities. Perform Sabbat-specific rituals and family activities. Whip up tasty treats and crafts as reminders of the season’s gifts and lessons. Also featured are astrological influences to help you plan rituals according to cosmic energies. |
| phyllis siefker: The Island at the Center of the World Russell Shorto, 2005-04-12 In a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history. UPDATED EDITION WITH A NEW PREFACE AND POSTSCRIPT Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past. --The New York Times When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, polyglot society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor. But the story of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was merely lost, not destroyed: 12,000 pages of its records–recently declared a national treasure–are now being translated. Russell Shorto draws on this remarkable archive in The Island at the Center of the World, which has been hailed by The New York Times as “a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past.” The Dutch colony pre-dated the “original” thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. The struggle between these two strong-willed men laid the foundation for New York City and helped shape American culture. The Island at the Center of the World uncovers a lost world and offers a surprising new perspective on our own. |
| phyllis siefker: The Psychedelic Gospels Jerry B. Brown, Julie M. Brown, 2016-09-15 Reveals evidence of visionary plants in Christianity and the life of Jesus found in medieval art and biblical scripture--hidden in plain sight for centuries • Follows the authors’ anthropological adventure discovering sacred mushroom images in European and Middle Eastern churches, including Roslyn Chapel and Chartres • Provides color photos showing how R. Gordon Wasson’s psychedelic theory of religion clearly extends to Christianity and reveals why Wasson suppressed this information due to his secret relationship with the Vatican • Examines the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels to show that visionary plants were the catalyst for Jesus’s awakening to his divinity and immortality Throughout medieval Christianity, religious works of art emerged to illustrate the teachings of the Bible for the largely illiterate population. What, then, is the significance of the psychoactive mushrooms hiding in plain sight in the artwork and icons of many European and Middle-Eastern churches? Does Christianity have a psychedelic history? Providing stunning visual evidence from their anthropological journey throughout Europe and the Middle East, including visits to Roslyn Chapel and Chartres Cathedral, authors Julie and Jerry Brown document the role of visionary plants in Christianity. They retrace the pioneering research of R. Gordon Wasson, the famous “sacred mushroom seeker,” on psychedelics in ancient Greece and India, and among the present-day reindeer herders of Siberia and the Mazatecs of Mexico. Challenging Wasson’s legacy, the authors reveal his secret relationship with the Vatican that led to Wasson’s refusal to pursue his hallucinogen theory into the hallowed halls of Christianity. Examining the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels, the authors provide scriptural support to show that sacred mushrooms were the inspiration for Jesus’ revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven and that he was initiated into these mystical practices in Egypt during the Missing Years. They contend that the Trees of Knowledge and of Immortality in Eden were sacred mushrooms. Uncovering the role played by visionary plants in the origins of Judeo-Christianity, the authors invite us to rethink what we know about the life of Jesus and to consider a controversial theory that challenges us to explore these sacred pathways to the divine. |
| phyllis siefker: Merry Midwinter Gillian Monks, 2018-10-04 'Lots of ideas for making gifts and decorations but not spending tons of money buying them' Jenni Murray Celebrating midwinter is not about what you buy or how much you spend – it's about your attitude to life. Turn away from the frenetic consumerism of Christmas and rediscover the authentic and meaningful realities of this, the oldest and most precious celebration of the year. The true significance of midwinter is not found in any individual spiritual or religious belief or practice. Instead, the winter solstice provides an opportunity to celebrate what we as humans share; to set aside our differences and come together with a sense of community and cheer. Merry Midwinter is a cornucopia of ideas for how to make your own decorations (kissing boughs, advent wreaths, crackers, stockings and more); your own alternative gifts which cost nothing except your time and thought; your own entertainments and games; and simple, seasonal recipes from years gone by. |
| phyllis siefker: English Medieval Misericords Paul Hardwick, 2011 Misericord carvings present a fascinating corpus of medieval art which, in turn, complements our knowledge of life and belief in the late middle ages. Subjects range from the sacred to the profane and from the fantastic to the everyday, seemingly giving equal weight to the scatological and the spiritual alike. Focusing specifically on England - though with cognisance of broader European contexts - this volume offers an analysis of misericords in relation to other cultural artefacts of the period. Through a series of themed case studies, the book places misericords firmly within the doctrinal and devotional milieu in which they were created and sited, arguing that even the apparently coarse images to be found beneath choir stalls are intimately linked to the devotional life of the medieval English Church. The analysis is complemented by a gazetteer of the most notable instances. Dr Paul Hardwick is Professor in English, Leeds Trinity University College. |
| phyllis siefker: Winter US Edition Adam Gopnik, 2011-08-24 The 2011 CBC Massey Lectures celebrates fifty years with bestselling author, essayist, cultural observer, and famed New Yorker contributor Adam Gopnik, whose subject is winter -- the season, the space, the cycle. Gopnik 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. Here we learn how a poem by William Cowper 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. Gopnik’s kaleidoscopic work ends in the present day, when he traverses the underground city in Montreal, pondering the future of Northern culture. A stunningly beautiful meditation buoyed by Gopnik’s trademark gentle wit, Winter is at once an enchanting homage to an idea of a season and a captivating journey through the modern imagination. This deluxe 50th anniversary edition includes full-colour images printed on two 8-page inserts. |
| phyllis siefker: Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology Theresa Bane, 2016-03-09 Of all the anomalous phenomenon reported, ghost sightings are by far the most common. The words ghost and spirit are used interchangeably in American English but in other cultures the lingering souls of the departed are not to be confused with ancestral spirits, demonic spirits, numens or poltergeists. This encyclopedia lists hundreds of entities of the spirit realm--from aatxe to zuzeca--from world mythology and folklore. |
| phyllis siefker: Homeland Mythology Christopher Collins, 2010-11-01 Collins shows that biblical narratives have inspired a multitude of nationalist narratives, myths ingeniously spun out to justify a number of decidedly unchristian policies and institutions--from Indian genocide, the slave trade, and the exploitation of immigrant workers to Manifest Destiny, imperial expansionism, and, most recently, preemptive war. |
| phyllis siefker: About Christmas Nicolae Sfetcu, 2014-05-01 Christmas characters and food, Christmas-linked holidays and music, Santa Claus and traditions. Related to Annunciation, Incarnation; Crucifixion; Advent, the four weeks preceding Christmas; and the period between the day after Thanksgiving and the Sunday after New Year”s Day, the American holiday season. Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. Aspects of celebration may include gift-giving, Christmas trees, display of Nativity sets, church attendance, the Father Christmas/Santa Claus myth, and family gatherings. Users of the Gregorian calendar observe the holiday on December 25. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate on December 25 by the Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. These dates are merely traditional; the great majority of scholars agree that the actual birthdate of Jesus is unknown. In Western culture, the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of the gifts being attributed to Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Basil and Father Frost). However, various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced, despite the widespread influence of American, British and Australian Christmas motifs disseminated by film, popular literature, television, and other media. |
| phyllis siefker: Nicholas Jeremy Seal, 2005-11-01 Presents the evolution of a bishop from fourth century Turkey into the modern-day icon of Santa Claus, tracing the revered saint's cult in the Orthodox Church and his gradual acceptance in the West as a symbol of Christmas. |
| phyllis siefker: Santa's Book of Knowledge Santa Al Horton, 2011-07-05 Have you ever thought what the world would be like if I didnt carry that sack and make that sleigh ride each year? I know one thing; there wouldnt be a need for a Naughty and Nice list anymore. Can you imagine all those children and their sad little faces? I could never give up this cause because the children are so angelic with those bright and cheery smiles when they look at you or the presents you leave on Christmas morning. -- Santa Claus |
Phyllis (TV series) - Wikipedia
Phyllis is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from September 8, 1975, to March 13, 1977. Created mainly by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels , it was the second …
Phyllis - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity
5 days ago · The name Phyllis is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "green bough". Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden.
Phyllis (TV Series 1975–1977) - IMDb
Phyllis: Created by Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger. With Cloris Leachman, Henry Jones, Jane Rose, Carmine Caridi. Mary Richards' landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom, moves back to her …
Meaning, origin and history of the name Phyllis
Nov 20, 2020 · Means "foliage" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a woman who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond …
Phyllis - Wikipedia
Phyllis or Phillis is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning foliage. Phyllis is a minor figure in Greek mythology who killed herself in despair when Demophon of Athens did not return to …
'Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson's Daughter Phyllis: Their ...
Jun 4, 2025 · Five years before Phil Robertson died, an unexpected addition came into his life. In early 2020, the Duck Dynasty patriarch found out that he had an adult daughter named Phyllis, …
What does Phyllis mean? - Think Baby Names
Phyllis as a girls' name is pronounced FILL-iss. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Phyllis is "greenery". Greek mythology: a character of this name dies for love, then is transformed into …
Who Is Ralph Macchio's Wife? All About Phyllis Fierro
Nov 25, 2024 · Macchio met his wife, Phyllis Fierro, when he was only 15 years old — before he became a household name. The couple have been married since 1987, and credit their long …
Phyllis All Seasons Episodes - YouTube
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
Where Is Young & Restless' Phyllis? - Soaps.com
If she doesn’t show up to that, which seems likely given the launch of this mini-mystery, their concern is bound to ramp up into a higher gear. So, where could she be, or what might she be …
Phyllis (TV series) - Wikipedia
Phyllis is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from September 8, 1975, to March 13, 1977. Created mainly by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels , it was the second …
Phyllis - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity
5 days ago · The name Phyllis is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "green bough". Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden.
Phyllis (TV Series 1975–1977) - IMDb
Phyllis: Created by Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger. With Cloris Leachman, Henry Jones, Jane Rose, Carmine Caridi. Mary Richards' landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom, moves back to her …
Meaning, origin and history of the name Phyllis
Nov 20, 2020 · Means "foliage" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a woman who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond tree. …
Phyllis - Wikipedia
Phyllis or Phillis is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning foliage. Phyllis is a minor figure in Greek mythology who killed herself in despair when Demophon of Athens did not return to …
'Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson's Daughter Phyllis: Their ...
Jun 4, 2025 · Five years before Phil Robertson died, an unexpected addition came into his life. In early 2020, the Duck Dynasty patriarch found out that he had an adult daughter named Phyllis, …
What does Phyllis mean? - Think Baby Names
Phyllis as a girls' name is pronounced FILL-iss. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Phyllis is "greenery". Greek mythology: a character of this name dies for love, then is transformed into an …
Who Is Ralph Macchio's Wife? All About Phyllis Fierro
Nov 25, 2024 · Macchio met his wife, Phyllis Fierro, when he was only 15 years old — before he became a household name. The couple have been married since 1987, and credit their long …
Phyllis All Seasons Episodes - YouTube
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
Where Is Young & Restless' Phyllis? - Soaps.com
If she doesn’t show up to that, which seems likely given the launch of this mini-mystery, their concern is bound to ramp up into a higher gear. So, where could she be, or what might she be …
