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Articles by Lawrence May
Online gaming and wellbeing among Pacific youth: a scoping review
The digital world is one of the fastest-growing spaces, with people aged 16–64 years spending, on average, nearly seven hours a day online (Kemp Citation2021). Technology growth has seen the development of various online means of entertainment, which includes playing video games.
State-Issued Socks
Photo by serrnovik on Depositphotos.com This article was first published on PJP in 2020. The holiday season in prison can be very miserable and quite depressing. Being separated from family members and friends becomes especially trying. To relieve the pain at that time of year, I often think back to my childhood. Fond memories of the smell of the freshly cut tree, hundreds of colorful, twinkling lights, and of course, presents in all shapes and sizes.
Becoming a Belieber
Photo by PopularImages on Depositphotos.com One day last April, all programs were canceled, and no one seemed to know why. Rumors circulated. My roommate, who worked in the chapel, told me in confidence that special guests were coming to visit the Christian congregation here at the state prison in Lancaster, California. After a short visit to C Yard, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Pastor Judah Smith from Hillsong Church, his wife and their entourage made a triumphant entrance into A Yard.
Dog Rehab Program Builds Companionship, Purpose for Those in Prison
Image courtesy of Lawrence May From a distance, it appeared to be a caged lion. Immediately, I thought of the stories my parents told me regarding traveling circuses. Animals in cages, placed on wagons, pulled by horses from town to town. Men in the recreational yard stopped talking and exercising as the cart approached, pulled by two women heading toward our building, where the Paws For Life K9 Rescue Program is housed. There was a brown dog inside the sturdy metal cage.
Reactions to Chauvin Inside of a Los Angeles Prison
Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash Most of the 150 men in my building have been following the George Floyd killing. From the time I first learned of the case, I believed Derek Chauvin would be convicted, but only of manslaughter. As more details emerged in the newspaper and during the trial, I knew he would and should be convicted of murder. I had little doubt that the jury would agree. My roommate Justin agreed. “I believed he would be found guilty from the beginning,” he said.
Organic Gardening Inside Steel and Concrete Walls
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash “I haven’t touched a flower in 29 years.” All eyes were on my friend Omar as he spoke softly and slowly. He became emotional, and as the room went silent, tears clouded our sight. Most of us knew that Omar had been on Death Row for 17 of those years. That day, our gardening instructors, Dave and Armando, surprised us by bringing in fresh flowers. The softness of those flower petals was quite a contrast to the steel and concrete of prison.
Surviving COVID-19 in Prison
Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash I recently turned 65, so my doctor decided to schedule me for a colonoscopy at the Adventist Hospital in Bakersfield. It was a relaxing two-hour drive. After a short wait, I was taken to the pre-operation room and given a COVID-19 test. An IV was inserted near my wrist, and an anesthesiologist discussed his part of the procedure.
Bussed to a Black Junior High School
Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash In the summer of 1967, I found out I was going to be bussed to a prominently Black junior high school in Richmond, California. I was a 12-year-old, White, middle-class kid who really didn’t understand what that meant, except that I would be separated from most of my grade school friends. Kenny Coates was my only buddy who was going to be bussed with me. I don’t recall being nervous or scared.
How Stamps and Dogs Kept Me Sane
The writer with one of his Paws for Life dogs Hunter In early March 2020, the world suddenly changed. People were whispering and rumors were flying about a new kind of virus — one worse than the flu. Unseen and invisible, silently bounding oceans and speeding across continents. It seemed like the plot of a Hollywood horror film more than reality. At California State Prison, Los Angeles, the first notice we received was that all visits were canceled.
Reflective renovation: Insights from a collaborative and active learning space project evaluation
Reflective renovation: Insights from a collaborative and active learning space project evaluation Abstract With growing knowledge about the effectiveness of collaborative or team-based learning in developing important skill sets among students, the development of collaborative and active learning space (CALS) classrooms has gained increasing momentum in recent years.
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