Journal of Play; Was not Pym Playful?

Playfulness Key To Happy, Lasting Relationships 
In The Latest Issue Of The American Journal Of Play
Now Accessible Free Online At www.journalofplay.org.

Authors Rene Proyer, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Lisa Wagner, a research and teaching assistant at the University of Zurich, argue that playfulness may serve an evolutionary role in mating preferences by making a person more attractive to potential mates according to research published in the most recent issue of The Strong's American Journal of Play. The authors conducted their research by replicating an earlier study on mating preferences led by Garry Chick, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Pennsylvania State University (published in the American Journal of Play in 2012). 

Also in this issue of the Journal:

“Parent-Child Play across Cultures: Advancing Play Research” by Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, professor of child and family studies at Syracuse University, and Kimberly L. Davidson, a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University.

“Competitive Speech and Debate: How Play Influenced American Educational Practice,” by Michael D. Bartanen, professor of communications and theater at Pacifica Lutheran University, and Robert S. Littlefield, professor of communications at North Dakota State University.

“Gender Neutrality in Play of Young Migrant Children: An Emerging Trend or an Outlier” by Smita Mathur, associate professor at James Madison University, and Gowri Parameswaran, professor of education at the State University of New York at New Paltz. 

For information about print subscriptions, visit www.journalofplay.org/subscribe.

The American Journal of Play, an interdisciplinary scholarly journal devoted solely to the study of play, is published by The Strong in Rochester, New York. The Journal is available free online at www.journalofplay.org.

 

Maria Mitchell: Astronomer and Excellent Woman

The Solar Eclipse and Maria Mitchell

By Ellen Tsagaris

Popular Astronomy Club

On March 20, 2015, the next solar eclipse will be visible.  NASA’s Solar Eclipse Page provides tables of past and future solar eclipses, along with graphics and other pertinent information. 

A solar eclipse takes place, of course, when the moon passes between the sun and the earth.  Once this occurs, the moon partially or totally hides the sun.  Then, the moon casts a shadow on the earth.

For a solar eclipse to occur there must be a new moon because the eclipse can only take place during the phase of the new moon, which makes it possible for the moon to cast its shadow on the earth.

Such an event has been billions of years in the making, truly awesome when one considers that since its formation almost 4.5 billion years ago, the moon has been steadily pulling away from the earth. According to Space.com, the moon has been moving away from the earth by about 1.6 inches each year.  Furthermore, the writers at Space.com point out that “right now the moon is at the perfect distance to appear in our sky exactly the same size as the sun, and therefore block it out. “

The Bible mentions a solar eclipse in Amos 8: 9, “I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the Earth in the clear day.”  Other references from Ancient China and Nineveh have also been documented. 

Most solar eclipses are very short, with some of the longest recorded at 7 minutes 31 seconds. During this time, the corona, the outer atmosphere of the sun, is visible.

The March eclipse will not be visible in the Quad City area, unfortunately. A total solar eclipse will be visible in Svalbard, Norway and the Faroe Islands, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Europe, northern and eastern Asia and northern and western Africa

The last solar eclipse was only a partial eclipse and occurred on October 23, 2014.

Celebrated astronomer Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) made the study of solar eclipses her specialty.  Mitchell was born to Quaker parents who believed in educating equally their sons and daughters.  She learned to love astronomy through helping her father, and one evening, she helped him calculate their home’s position by observing a solar eclipse. Mitchell became famous after she discovered a comet in 1847.  The King of Denmark awarded her a gold medal for her discovery of the comet.  In 1856, Mitchell became a professor of astronomy at Vassar College.

Maria Mitchell was an admired and beloved teacher who inspired her students and believed woman could achieve the same accomplishments that men did, if they could only be given a chance.  She believed creativity and science worked well together, and one quote attributed to her reads: “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.”

50 Shades of Grey, Corrected

Please note: I've corrected the original on Memoir: Writing your Life story, the blog where this piece was originally posted. Thanks, and have a beautiful day.  Note, I am indeed, wearing grey with a pearl-like necklace this morning!!

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Fifty Shades of Grey, or "Different Strokes for Di...

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Fifty Shades of Grey, or "Different Strokes for Di...: http://www.amazon.com/Tigress-Ellen-Tsagaris-ebook/dp/B00E3WTULQ Given my other blogs on dolls and doll collecting, including collectdolls.a...





What would Miss Pym think?  Would Mr. Rochester balk?  Would Jane or Bertha sign up? What of Christian in "Pilgrim's Progress?" Read on!!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Creepy A**d Humans; The Dolls Reply!!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Creepy A**d Humans; The Dolls Reply!!: Follow the Link  Below; a new book of poems about dolls! http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollsbymaterial/fl/Creepy-A-Humans-The-Dolls-Rep...



Jane Eyre loved a rag doll, so did Laura Ingalls.  Pym extolled we all need something to love.