Most Popular Books by Thomas Jerome Baker

(Revised & Updated February 2014) I Live in Chile. ¡Viva Chile! I am fascinated with, and deeply in love with Chile (encantado & enamorado). That will be the main aim of this book, namely, to share my life in, and my love for, this beautiful country, my beloved Chile. In doing so, you must realize that I am no tourist, I LIVE in Chile. I can only talk about those things which have had a significant impact on me, personally. I give you history, food, culture, language, landscapes, music, song and dance. I allow you to see Chile in a whole new light, through the eyes of a foreigner who loves living in Chile.I wish to share "my Chile" with you, much as one would share a bottle of fine wine with a friend. A glass for you, and a glass for me. ¡Viva Chile! Cheers!Chile can be intoxicating to the senses, just as the wine is intoxicating if one is not careful. It is wise to experience her slowly, to take your time, again, as with a bottle of fine wine. Your enjoyment of Chile will be increased if you approach your relationship with her in this manner. Smile at Chile, and she will smile back at you. Walk with Chile, and she will walk with you. Dance with Chile, and she will dance with you. Sing with Chile, and she will sing with you. Chile has the driest desert in the world (the Atacama) in the north and the coldest region in the world in the south, the Antarctic. In between there are beaches and mountains, vineyards and forests, countryside and sprawling cities. To this, add the traditions and culture of Chile, her cuisine, a hearty South American food, the land itself with her recurring natural disasters, and finally, the people, who never cease to amaze me with their resilience and ability to withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, storms and volcanic eruptions., My amazement borders on the incredulous, even after 12 years living here.Chile, as I have come to know her, is a mystical place, a magical place, and yet a melancholy kind of place. She is all alone at the end of the world. She is like a beautiful woman at a royal ball, so marvelously dazzling and charming that no one dares approach her, leaving her to be admired from a distance, and to go home alone, again...So you see, when you are in Chile, there is no need to hurry. It is a place that time has forgotten. And when time has forgotten itself, one day can last forever, or only for a moment. Enjoy the moments that you have in Chile, make them last as long as you need them to last.Your moments can be magical moments in this beautiful country. Your moments can be unforgettable moments in this beautiful country. Once you are here, whatever happens to you, whatever you do, is like nothing you have ever done or seen before. I know this because, "I live in Chile". This is my life experience. ¡Viva Chile! Be purposeful in what you see and do while in Chile. Take the time to feel the sun and the wind and the rain caress your skin. If you do this, you will remember how Chile has made you feel. Then, when the time has come for you to return to your country, you will go happy, and at the same time, feel sadness that you must leave her. Parting can be bittersweet, emotions mixed, yet with memories that will remain vivid for a lifetime...

With the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the USA, America once again is forced to realize that the real threat to its liberties has always come, not from its foreign enemies, but from its enemies within. As the case for President Trump''s treason and impeachment is laid before the American public daily, the time has come to re-examine the treason of Benedict Arnold (Patriot-turned-Traitor), by using a comparative analysis with Donald Trump. Is Trump a traitor? Should Trump be impeached? At the very least, we must ask ourselves: Is Trump a Benedict Arnold? Benedict Donald? The answer is complex, controversial, and contradictory. It is a Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions. The names change, the times change, but treason remains the same dark, despicable crime.

This book is dedicated to young and old alike. It is a centuries-old myth, with monsters and love, that has been passed down from generation to generation on the island of Chiloé. This island is located in the extreme southern sector of Chile, far from the urban center of the country. This fact partly explains the fertile ground available for the myth''s survival to the present day. More importantly, its context is a superstitious world that sought to explain the mysteries of the natural world through the medium of dreams and myths. In fact, according to Joseph Campbell, "Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths." "People say that what we''re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don''t think that''s what we''re really seeking. I think that what we''re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive." ~ Joseph Campbell, "The Power of Myth".

The interview is a genre of written English that gets very little attention, if any, in English Language Teaching. It is highly individualized in nature, requiring flexibility on the part of the interviewer and the interviewee, if it is to be genuinely interactive and spontaneous.Yet what conclusions can draw about an interview, in general, that might be helpful for the English Language Learner? To attempt to answer that question in any kind of depth, actual interviews will be used as a base of reference. Thus, this book attempts to shed some light on the interview as genre in ELT.

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." ~ Elie Wiesel What would you do? Why? The Holocaust showed the world that it is a very good idea to rethink what makes humans civilized. Is it our willingness to help our fellow human beings? Then why did we betray the Jews in World War II? How did the Nazis manipulate us? Why did we refuse to stand up to evil? This book will help you to search for the answer to the question that only you can answer for yourself...

Genre: Christian Fiction / Young Adult / Teens / Mythology / Historical Fiction / Feminism / Religious and Inspirational Fiction / Family Saga / Love and Romance/"Emily & David''s Quest: A Saga of the Ancient Family Trilogy", is a Quest for the Holy Grail, the blood of Jesus Christ himself. At stake is the fate of the world. Set in a cave in Valencia, Spain, in Glastonbury, England, and the very bowels of the Underworld, it is dialogue-driven, fast-paced, and unpredictable. The protagonists, Emily and David, must race against time to find the Holy Grail before Alicia, the Sorceress, finds it. Alicia has dragons and demons from the Underworld to help her.Both barely 18 years old, all Emily and David have on their side is David''s stories and Emily''s courage. This is an uneven fight if there ever was one!David and Emily will fight evil with Christian fiction, legends, fairy tales, history, mystery, fantasy and mythology in this epic battle of good versus evil.A real page turner, this fast read will make you think about the power of love in all its forms long after you finish reading.It is the exciting finish to this ancient Story Teller family saga which spans the centuries of recorded time. Its twists and turns will keep readers engaged and guessing until you turn the very last page.Emily and David must face their worst fears. They discover the past is unwilling to let them live out their lives peacefully, happy and content as the Last Story Tellers.Their stories and their faith in things unseen are all they have in their quest to save the world from Alicia, the Sorceress, who has been waiting a thousand years for this opportunity to rule the world!Alicia''s desire for power and immortality leads to the ultimate showdown of good vs evil. Emily and David will find themselves forced to make decisions that will affect all eternity.On their quest to save the world, they will be met with sisters and sorcery, magic and mysticism, devils, dragons and demons. Emily and David''s quest will rekindle your faith in the power of redemptive love."Everyone deserves a second chance" is a theme that flows throughout the book. Book 1 and Book 2 (box set: $0.99 cents)Story Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness: Witches, Wizards & WarlocksThree Quotes from Book 2:1. "There stood a man and a woman in a circle of love, squared by the son''s love, each standing triangular to the other, forming a final circle to enclose the whole." 2. To your quest be true... 3. "...the fate of Earth, its only hope to survive, lay in the hands of a boy, David, the Son of Solomon..."

Who is to blame for poor test results? Is it always, ultimately, the teacher? Read this book for a different answer to this enigma. Read this book for a different perspective as to the ultimate responsibility of the teacher, the learner, or the system. Still you might ask: "Why this book?" This book is written by a teacher, for teachers and learners of languages, not only English, worldwide. It deals implicitly and explicitly with questions of interpreting test results, washback, and the inevitable, preparing for international exams, regardless of type.Yet beyond these considerations, there is the historical aspect. In today''s globalized world, it seems we forget things that happened only a decade ago. Thus, we repeat the mistakes of the past, unnecessarily. This book plays a role in remembering what we have done in the past, especially in English Language Teaching, Testing & Learning.Yet, is this book able to make a contribution? Does it provide new knowledge, new insights? Despite the hasty conceived generalization that socioeconomic factors explain everything, I believe this book has something new to say, the ability to shed a fresh light, from a different, closer perspective than what we have been provided thus far. I am talking about the view from the classroom, the teacher''s "unheard voice" to what has been left unsaid...Yes, the public, worldwide, is often led to believe that poor children can''t learn. They go to poor schools, with weak teachers, with low hopes and low self-esteem, hopeless and helpless. Yes, we know, this is what worldwide is often the case for the underprivileged masses.To exemplify, Carolina Schmidt, the current Minister of Education, here in Chile, said, (I paraphrase in my own words): The situation here in Chile is that learning English is a socioeconomic privilege. Reading this book will provide you with a different way to view the teaching, learning and testing of any foreign language...

You and I are long-suffering fans of La Roja, Chile''s national soccer team. How can I say such a thing about us? It''s because Chile has a 100-year history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Many times, in many places, home and abroad, we discovered a way to lose, usually after having played like world champions (2007, 2000, 1987, 1962, 1955, 1954, 1952, 1945, 1920). That''s why we suffered, but we kept on loving La Roja, even when we knew in our heart of hearts what our ultimate destiny would be.Yes, we knew, deep in our hearts, we would lose again. And again. And again. It was our destiny. If there was a second place, it was ours...unless there was a third place. Then we would gladly give up second place in order to have third place. Worse than that, for example, Chile was not allowed to compete in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup. An entire country paid the unjust price for the misconduct of one person. In their prime, a generation of world class players was denied World Cup participation. No matter what happened, Chile kept coming back for more. Of course, La Roja would then give us more suffering. Mind you, I''m talking about passionate suffering of the soul. The passion has been burning brightly since 1895, when the Football Federation of Chile (ANFP) was founded. Now you know why we play the beautiful game, win or lose. It was beautiful in 1920, 1945, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1987, and 1991. World Cup Chile 1962 was as good as it got for most of us. We won third place in the world, the whole world. Olympics 2000 was great too (another 3rd place). Four times we got close, second place, but never first. Yes, winning second place, four times, is a great moral victory, but we were never champions. Then Marcelo Bielsa came to Chile and taught us a new way to play. We attacked, we pressed the other team all over the field. Our confident, high-energy, aggressive, free-flowing, and fluid style made us winners. When Jorge Sampaoli became coach, he did things "the Bielsa way." And we kept on winning. After 99 years of losing, Chile, playing beautifully, finally won her first championship. We are champions, now, always, and forever...

How can we get teenagers engaged in autonomous and cooperative learning? If the teenagers you teach are like the ones I teach, this is not an easy task. Why? Because being a teenager is difficult. However, I believe there are some avenues I''ve taken that can offer a way to increase your success in teaching teens. The aim of this book is therefore, to share experieces which have worked. This is not intended to prescribe, but to describe. The successful teacher will adapt my experience to their own teaching and learning context.

There can only be one. The Last Storyteller will control the power of "Lapis Philosophicus", the Philosopher''s Stone. That power is gold, which means wealth and riches beyond the capacity to count. But more importantly, the Stone means immortality. In this fast moving stories, you meet the Storytellers who vie for the glory of being, the Last Storyteller.

How best to use the speeches in this book? There is no one "best" way to benefit from the material in this book. As a point of departure, read each speech. Read them silently and read them aloud. Then read them again. And again. Again...Appreciate the sounds of the words, for they are beautiful. Notice the use of repetition, humour, irony, wit, allusion and alliteration. Practice giving the speeches. Place yourself in the "shoes" of the speaker. You become Cato, Demosthenes, Abraham Lincoln, Booker T. Washington, Chief Joseph, Chief Red Jacket, Brutus, Mark Antony, William Pitt and William Wilberforce. See the world as they saw the world, and deliver the speeches...

I am a teacher, and I teach in Chile. This year a new Teacher Career Law, defining the teaching profession in terms of increased prestige, attracting more applicants from higher performing students, an obligatory enabling exam, higher salaries, fewer hours teaching in the classroom, and higher responsibilities wil be passed, hopefully.This book totally supports the idea that a good law is needed, and now is the time to pass one, even if that law is not yet perfect. We Teachers have such a long way to go, and this is clearly a tremendous step in the right direction. To celebrate, all of the funds received for the sale of this book will go to support the EdCamp Santiago free conference for teachers in Chile. Thank you, in advance, for buying this book. May God Bless You...Soy el más afortunado de todos quienes trabajan. A un médico se le permite traer una vida en un momento mágico. A mí se me permite que esa vida renazca día a a día con nuevas preguntas, ideas y amistades. Un arquitecto sabe que si construye con cuidado, su estructura puede permanecer por siglos. Un maestro sabe que si construye con amor y verdad, lo que construya durará para siempre.

George Orwell is an enigma, a man ahead of his time. Despite his brilliance, he was antifeminist. So, how would he portray nontraditional women, emancipated women, strong women, revolutionary women? Would they escape being relegated to the sidelines, marginalised, or worse, silenced? Would Orwell give these women an authentic voice and a major role? Surely, such women would be the protagonists of their own story? By analysing George Orwel''s Animal Farm, I seek to answer how he portrayed revolutionary, emancipated Russian women.

"17 Amazing and Inspiring Speeches" is a resource book to help teachers, students, and anyone interested in becoming an effective public speaker. I present and comment on 17 superb speeches that illustrate effective public speaking. This book is a "gold mine". With 17 individual speeches, you can use the book page by page, or speech by speech. It is so diverse, you will never get bored while you achieve your goals.

With news of the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S., the public is on edge and trying to find fast answers about just how vulnerable they are to the deadly virus. This book provides answers from the most reliable and the most authoritative sources possible. The sources are from a wide variety of perspectives: social, cultural, political, economic, health and medical. (quote) U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power: "Ebola has no greater friend than fear. The virus thrives on it. We see fear in the affected countries... It is fear that leads community members to stigmatize survivors of the virus, or the relatives of those who have died, or even the health professionals and other people aiding in the response...A 24-year-old survivor in Guinea told me she had lived three lives: her life before Ebola; her life in the hell of her infection; and her life since recovering. She said the stigma she has suffered since beating Ebola has made her current life the hardest. The stigma had so affected her that she said she was amazed by President Obama''s embrace of Nina Pham, the Texas nurse who was just cured of Ebola. When I went to give this young woman survivor a hug goodbye, though, she demurred and offered a fist bump. She did not seem yet to fully trust that she was cured or to recognize that she had done nothing wrong - only the virus had...It is fear that has caused some of those who develop a fever or other symptoms not to come forward to seek help, putting themselves and the people around them at greater risk. Fear that going to seek care will make them sicker, or that seeking help will alienate them from their communities...We also see fear in countries like my own (USA), whose active participation is critically important to bringing this outbreak under control. All over the world, governments and our fellow citizens are afraid that if we send doctors or nurses or soldiers or engineers or other volunteers to the affected countries, we will put our own communities at risk...The fear is understandable. Many of our countries, like those most affected, are dealing with Ebola for the first time, and it is a dangerous and terrifying virus...We must ask ourselves: twenty years from now, when we look back on this historic crossroads, will we want to say we left this fight to the people of the affected countries? Will we want to say we did not act because we thought others would win the fight without our help? Will we want to admit that fear held us back? If we will not want to give these answers when we are asked in twenty years - and make no mistake, we will all be asked - we have to do more."

This is the first book about the unconference movement that seeks to address the question: Is the unconference dead? It looks at BarCamp, Edcamp, Educamp, TeachMeet and weighs in on hybrid events - traditional conferences that include an unconference track. Thomas, himself a Co-Founder & Co-Organiser of EdCamp Santiago, reassures the potential unconference organiser that organising a perfect unconference is a lot less complicated than it seems. "...a perfect unconference ... would be a jam session, a moveable feast. Improvisation has signal, it has pattern, it has structure, it has plans, but it also has the freedom to say or play what it seems right to say or play at that moment. Whatever works is what I want to be free to do, what the work of the "un" ought to accomplish, to make working an always-provisional, always-scrutinized, always-open value. Let a thousand models bloom, and then cross-pollinate." (Timothy Burke, February 9, 2012, "Easily Distracted")

Stones & bones are part of our oral tradition. We find stones & bones in folktales, mythology, and religion. What people like about the oral tradition is the ability to change the story, each time you tell it. The result is unique and entertaining. You recognise the story, but it''s different, unlike anything you have ever heard before. It''s like going into the kitchen on the day after Thanksgiving. You get a meal by making some unusual combinations: a pinch of salt here, a bit of sugar there.I have taken stones and bones, stories and myths, folklore and tradition, a bit of religion, a pinch of love, a bit of travel, mixed it all up with an incredible long distance romance and built it up around a dynamic protagonist who you will either love to hate, or hate to love...For dessert (yes, you get dessert too), there is also birth, rebirth, a battle for immortality and ultimate power to rule the world. It all comes down to the choices that an unlikely hero will have to make about who to trust, and who not to trust. Finally, this book is dedicated to you, the reader. I hope you enjoy your story. These stones & bones, I humbly offer for your reading pleasure. Enjoy...

"White nights and dark days" is not ordinarily something to be giving thanks for. In the case of Alaska, however, I''m sure you will forgive me for calling the bright night of the white midnight sun, "breathtakingly beautiful", and the dusky days, "delightful". Therefore I say in the Yup''ik language, "quyana". Quyana is the Yup''ik Eskimo word for, "Thank You" in English. Thankful, appreciative, and grateful is what I feel each time I remember the 10 days of my life that I spent in the Yup''ik Eskimo village of Quinhagak (pronounced kwin-uh-hawk). In March 1998, I volunteered to go to Alaska as a member of a joint-service, military, medical team. The mission was a humanitarian one: to provide no cost medical service to the Yup''ik people of the village of Quinhagak.Each year for the past 18 years, Operation Arctic Care brings approximately 300 military personnel, and 70 thousand pounds of cargo and medical supplies, to rural communities throughout Alaska. It?s a military field exercise that provides free medical care to underserved populations in Alaska. In 1998 we were in Southwest Alaska, and my team was assigned to Quinhakak. In return for providing care, servicemen and women from several branches of the military would be learning to adapt medical services for unfamiliar field conditions.And so it was that we entered the village in the only way possible, by air. Riding in on the Alaska National Guard Blackhawk helicopter one thing was clear: ahead of us lay long days and difficult working conditions, bitter cold in a harsh, unforgiving environment, hardships to be endured, and medical emergencies to deal with. Would we rise to the challenge? In a moment of horror, involving a shooting that would leave one person dead and another badly wounded, we would find out some very profound answers to these questions. Our actions would capture headlines all over the state of Alaska, and leave us changed for the rest of our lives. Fourteen years later, I revisit, retell, and reflect on those white nights and days of darkness. "Waqaa" and "Quyana" remain the only words I can remember in Yup''ik: Waqaa means "Hello". Quinhagak, I greet you again, this time from within these pages: Waqaa... Hello Quinhagak, a treasured memory...

This catalog / "book of books" is dedicated to, and written for, all the people, worldwide, who want rest, relaxation and reading pleasure during the summer. Summer is the perfect time to disconnect from the stress and strain of your busy year. With a paperback book you can travel to distant places or reflect on topics that help you to improve in the coming year!Createspace puts the paperback in your hands, now, when you need it most. You will find something of use and of value in these books to help you achieve your personal goals.Reading is always a journey, never a destination. Somehow, you never really "get there", reach the final destination (complete the journey), because we constantly discover something new that we hadn''t considered before. With a paerback book in your hands, it doesn''t matter if you are lying on the beach or sailing across the ocean or still in bed at 2 in the afternoon, you will enjoy your reading journey.When you are finished with your book, discuss it with a friend, a colleague, or a family member. Better yet, surprise the people you love and who you care about. Buy them a paperback book. Especially if you like the book, then you know they will like it too! Your friends, family and colleagues will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Don''t forget to include a personal message from you to them in your gift! I thank you in advance for selecting one of my paperback books. I appreciate your loyalty. Like always, if there is anything I can do to make your reading experience more enjoyable, please let me know. Your feedback is important to me, and I will do everything in my power to accommodate your wishes. Finally, please accept my best wishes for you and your family. Enjoy a wonderful summer! Again, best wishes for a fantastic, unforgettable summer!