text:
|Start new thread in this topic | Flip this thread | Refresh the display
Tips for coping with the practicalities of miscarriage(392 Posts)
I?ve just had mc2, which has been emotionally more upsetting than mc1, but I coped a heck of a lot better on the practical side of managing it. And I realise that through the pregnancy books are full of tips on what types of sweets to pack in your hospital bag for labour, we?re pretty short of simple tips to make the sheer yuckiness of going through a miscarriage a little more bearable. I know there?s going to be big variations in people?s experience, and this is in no way to overrule any medical advice you get. But at least it might be a starting point.
For info, I had mc1 8 months ago, didn?t realise I was pg at the time (just come off breastfeeding DD, had massive problems conceiving before) but was probably 8-12 weeks. Didn?t realise it was actually a mc until a lot of mess later. MC2 was a few days ago, had a bit more notice as knew I was 8 wk pregnant, had been increasingly bleeding, and knowing a bit more what it was like through mc1. Neither time I needed to go to hospital.
So, this is what I would suggest helps from my experience, all offered as suggestions that may or may not apply to your situation!
1. Once you realise the bleeding has started in earnest, get home as soon as you can. You will probably need to sit on the loo for the next 1-3 hours, and that?s far nicer to do in the comfort of your own home.
2. If you need to travel in a car, sit on a plastic bag. (My 1st mc started at work, and by the time my DH came and picked me up in the car I had bleeding all down my trousers... it?s not glamorous).
3. Cancel everything, get childcare if you need it. The first time in the midst of the bleeding I tried to keep going, a builder came round to give me a quote for some work, DH went out on a pre-arranged cinema trip and I was putting DD to bed on my own. However hard it is to get a builder to quote, this was stupid priorities! Also, I now know best not to be left without another adult within shouting distance.
4. Settle in for the long haul. My mc2 was overnight, and I essentially camped out in the bathroom with magazines, world service on the radio, short scurries downstairs to make a hot chocolate. It was still horrible. But not unremittingly so.
5. Hot water bottles or hot wheatbags are great. And painkillers.
6. Get top quality sanitary pads, supersize. The maternity ones might be good for the first few hours if you can?t just sit on the loo, but they will make you miserable with their ungainliness. This is not a time to economise on the cheap versions.
7. If your mc kicks off at an evening or weekend, I found phoning my GPs ?out of hours? service loads more helpful, straightforward and kind than I have ever found NHS direct.
8. If take a pg test when you are miscarrying, it should come out positive. This is useful if, like me on mc1, I didn?t know I was pg at the time.
9. Take more time off work than you think. You are very much allowed to mooch.
Please do add any more tips. It goes without saying that I hope you and I never need these (again)?
Bumping so I can find this again.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, I hope it will help me and others have a slightly less unpleasant experience.
I'm currently waiting to see what happens before surgical management a week tomorrow.
I'm going through this at the minute, although as mine is quite early (6 weeks) it hasn't been too rough, just like a very heavy period.
For the pain I have been using co codamol and a hot water bottle which really does help the cramps.
I'm also feeling very achy down below and no idea how to fix that.
So sorry to everyone having this horrible experience x
Bump - this has been really useful today. Sorry for all of your losses x
Hi, ive just joined this forum. Im really sorry for your loss. I had a miscarriage on Tuesday 2nd June and I'm finding it so hard to get over. I was 7 weeks pregnant and started getting brown discharge a week before and it carried on for 6 days then turned red. When the discharge was brown I went to a&e and was told this is very common just worry when I start bleeding red. After reading all the comments on this page it has made me feel better. But the one worry I have is will it happen again? And the pain Ive had since the miscarriage has been awful. This was my first pregnancy
Thank you Mama. I'm feeling ok. Only light brown blood so far and no cramping yet. Going for scan tomorrow just to double check it's not ectopic.
Been reading the miscarriage thread and quite terrified of sudden rush of blood and horrible pains...
to you, iamadaftcoo - I am sorry for your loss. How are you feeling?
Just bumping. Waiting to miscarry at 5 + 5 weeks x
For medical management bring lots & lots of underwear and changes of pyjamas to the hospital as it can be like an extremely heavy period - very heavy.
The first time I had a MMC at the hospital I never realised I would have the option to see the baby. It was 12 weeks when I miscarried - and it was so sad to see it. The hospital put it in a little basket with a blanket. You could see everything - eyes, mouth, fingers, little feet. It was heartbreaking but good to be able to say goodbye. The hospital I was at arranged a burial.
Also, if you're in a maternity hospital it's weird as most people are there for normal pregnancies - and you see happy dads and grandparents on the way in to visit the new babies. I felt like people would be looking at me - walking around in pyjamas with no bump wondering what I was doing there.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences .
I've had a bit of a roller coaster of a week. This time last week I did a pregnancy test partly as I was having pregnancy like systems but convinced that they were peri-menopausal . I'd been told I was possibly peri menopausal after having a bartholin cyst last year. But I was indeed pregnant ! I was shocked . I'm 43 mother of an amazing 12 year daughter who despite trying much earlier never conceived again. I'd had an earlier miscarriage before my daughter which was discovered as a missed miscarriage at the 12 week scan.
After the initial shock I became very excited , told hubby and daughter and we got used to the idea of this little bonus in our life's. I had to tell work as I work in clinical trials so lots of risk to little unborn babas .
But on Friday night I started bleeding . A few spoonfuls of red blood with sharp pain followed by constant cramp. I called nhs 24 who got a nurse to call an hour later and advise paracetamol and rest whilst she got a doctor to phone back . A doctor called around 3 hours later at 2.15am and made me and appt at out of hours clinic for 9am which I duly attended and then was refererred to gynae as EPU closed for holiday weekend . After another 3 hour wait I was examined and given my first hcg blood test and asked to return for my 2nd on Monday . I returned on Monday after a lot of cramping on Sunday night and a little more bleeding only to find they didn't have a note of me and didn't know why I was there. The nurse actually wrote my name etc on the back of a paper towel to go and look me up . After they'd established I was meant to go back they took the 2nd test and advised I'd probably not get the results until this afternoon again due to bh weekend . However late yesterday I got a call saying I have an urgent scan this morning at 10 am. My hcg levels have fallen but not significantly so they need to do a scan. The doctor told me on Saturday they were meant to double if the pregnancy was viable so I'm presuming this is not a good thing and am scared of seeing another screen with no heartbeat .
I know that I'm really lucky , I have my 12 year old and this wasn't planned but even in a week I feel I had got ready for this wee bundle .
Bumping for megarobot.
Thank you everyone for this thread. I read it all on Tuesday when I was sent home from EPU with two doses of misoprostol and it helped me to prepare for what was going to happen. Unfortunately nothing did happen and I am now booked in for ERPC on Monday morning, so I'll go back and re-read everything about that too.
Thanks to everyone who has posted and sorry for your losses. I read this entire thread on Tuesday while waiting for my medical management appointment which was two days ago, on Wednesday. The background to this is I had a little spotting at 8 weeks and so had an early scan at 8 weeks which revealed baby had died at 7 weeks. I thought I would share my story in case it helped others who have had a missed miscarriage....
I think my body would have shortly started miscarrying naturally (i had cramps and light bleeding the night before the hospital appointment) but I didn't like the idea of hanging around waiting and prolonging the misery. When we went along on Wednesday to have the medical management, the doctor and nurses were lovely and I had time to consider whether I wanted to proceed with it - I did. Once the tablets had been inserted at about 10.30am we had to wait for two hours to check I didn't have an adverse reaction. During this time I got very shivery - apparently happens to lots of women - and my temperature popped up a bit. After about an hour stomach cramps started. I immediately took cocodimal provided by the hosp and alternated this with ibuprofen for the rest of the day. By the time we left hospital I was also getting back pains. At home I curled up with a hot water bottle in bed. The pain was unpleasant but not unbearable. Thank god for the painkillers. I was also desperately thirsty.
At about 4.30pm I went to the toilet to do a wee. At this point (sorry if TMI) I saw loads of blood was coming out and there were a couple of plops in the toilet. I hated the idea of the baby ending up in the toilet so I fished around a little but couldn't find anything. After this the cramps eased off and since then I have just had period type bleeding. I feel a bit wiped out but, assuming the current situation continues and tails off and assuming there are no further complications, the whole thing was nothing as terrible as I thought it may be. Emotionally I was a bit of a wreck yesterday, I think my hormones were crashing around, but today I have been up and about a little and feeling more positive.
wishing everyone going through this lots of luck for the future.
Thats heart-breaking, Skip! Lots of love and hugs for you and everyone else going through this. Me included. I started miscarrying this morning. Have known since last saturday that I am sitting on a mmc so to be honest, its a huge relief. The wait is without question, the worst part of a miscarriage. Now that it's started, at least I know it will be over soon and I can at least begin trying to put it behind me.
This is an amazing thread and thanks to everyone who posted here. I was so much better prepared with my chocolate and loo rolls and juice and extra pads. So So much more helpful than anything the EPU have done or said so far
Lots of hugs.
I have just had a miscarriage, I was about 9 weeks pregnant but miscarried I am told at about 5-6 weeks. Its my second pregnancy and cuddling my gorgeous little boy does help. I am so lucky to have had one healthy child, but still feel empty at the moment and that I dont really have the right to be upset as so many others never even get the chance to have one child.
Hasnt helped that today I have actually started passing large clots, its just so unpleasant and i have no idea how long it will last. The staff at the EPU were not empathetic at all, gave almost no info, I wasnt told about any support available, and when they scanned me and found the sac with nothing in it it was as though they were just telling me that i was being diagnosed with the flu. H
DH has been amazing, I am lucky to have him. Sending love to everyone else out there who is going through this at the moment x
Hi Butterflygirl
I'm so sorry you are going through this. I just returned from hospital after SMM and only had antibiotics just before discharge. They have to give them to go as your uterus is expanded and open to infection. It's highly unlikely you will be allergic to ALL antibiotics (I'm allergic to penicillin) so they can adapt around your needs. Just make sure they know about it when you go through pre-clerking.
Hope that all makes sense. My thoughts are with you xx
I have posted on here under my own topic but wanted to post here for advice. I was 12/13 weeks along when bleeding and cramps started so had an emergancy scan. It showed an empty egg sac of 9 weeks growth.
My miscarriage bleeding started last Wed. It was like a period but with lots of v small clots. I did pass something which wouldnt break so i think that was part of the egg sac a couple of days in about an inch long.
Yesterday I passed a dark red jelly thing which were about the size of a 10p coin across and then a liver like thing that was a bit bigger again. Do I have still have a lot more to pass?
I rang the EPU for advice and they said it was just progressing slowly. I have a scan booked for next Wed.
Im allergic to antibiotics so am very wary about having to have a DandC in case I have to take them. Does anyone know if you have to take them if you do go the surgical route?
Many thanks for any advice.
Big love to everyone who has posted here. I have read the entire 15 page thread over the last few days and it has helped me mentally and physically prepare for what was to come when I began spotting at 9 weeks pregnant (5 days ago).
It was my second pregnancy, an amazing surprise given it took 3 years and a successful round of IVF to conceive our daughter, who is 15 months old.
I suppose it always felt too good to be true. Like many, our (challenging) quest to have children has put unmeasurable pressure on our relationship. This pregnancy felt like an opportunity to heal the traumas of Ttc and assisted conception.
I began spotting Saturday night, nothing Sunday, spotting Monday, booking appointment with Midwife Tues morning by which time spotting was more like brown blood. She booked me into EPU for this morning (Wed). However last night (Tues) I began passing sizeable clots and was actually convinced that I had passed all necessary tissues. My husband is working away and I persuaded him it wasn't necessary to return. I bled alone while my baby girl slept next door. I wept and wept.
Today at the EPU, a scan confirmed that the baby had passed away at 8 weeks. To my further shock, everything was still intact. Everyone, doctors, nurses, sonographers were so kind to me.
I booked the operation to remove the foetus under general anaesthetic for tomorrow morning, but spent 4-7pm on the loo bleeding this afternoon. My in laws, who are usually very hands off, looked after our daughter all day and have been amazing.
For me, it was right to look at what passed this early evening. I have the sac and I clearly see the 'baby' (embryo? foetus? Yep guess who spent her biology lessons reading 'Just 17'). I kept gazing at this little sac in wonder; it held so much hope and was a ray of light for my mum, who has been at the bedside of her partner for 6 weeks since he had a stroke. Doctors are not predicting he will recover.
The pain, faintness, nausea, bleeding has subsided. One minute I am calm and stoical, the next crying inconsolably. My husband will be here in under an hour. He cried on the phone (I've never heard him cry in 7 years) when I told him we had lost the baby.
From reading the thread, it seems everyone has different experiences and ways of coping. I will be re-reading after going to hospital tomorrow to see how people move forward, or don't.
I desperately hope I have passed all that is needed and my body can now just continue to do its thing with no further medical intervention. They gave me a scan photo of the baby (asked me if I wanted it, gave choice) and I haven't looked yet. Will leave that for another day. Xx
So currently going through a miscarriage. Spotting started on Tuesday. Bleeding started on Thursday. Liken it to start of a period. Found out baby had no heartbeat and had not grown since scan 10 days prior on Friday. Was told at hospital there was nothing they could really do until at least Monday. Yesterday was ok. Cramps were there but not hugely painful. Probably as bad as period pain. Today is Sunday. Heavy bleeding. Bad cramps. Worse than bad period pain but not quite as bad as labour contractions. I would, however, liken the cramps to contractions rather than period pain. Foetus passed shortly after lunchtime and one big clot this afternoon. Soaked maybe three pads today - 2 regular and one goodnights and bled into toilet a bit. No cramps after the big clot. Hoping that is it and bleeding stops relatively soon. It's already slowed after the big clot. Not looking forward to follow up tests and probable hospital visit for EPAU which they are supposed to be scheduling for Monday (tomorrow).
I would add that in case you bleed very little, your cervix may be not co-operating and all the stuff is gathering inside. That is why then several days later you can have a real bloodshed even if you think you have had it, clotd and all - I would not go anywhere without a change of clothes and serious pads.
Also, if you have a cervix which tends to close before it is over check beta levels carefully or keep testing out - retained products may still remain which give pos hpt.
I have had 3bligthed ovums (attempted naturals, one attempt at medical management, always end up with retained products and eprc) and one 9w3d mc (last week, eprc). So,in case you already have a history of retaining products opt for eprc if possible.
Just wanted to add what is happening from a practical perspective. I took 2 tablets vaginally in the evening, 2 orally in the morning and another 2 vaginally the next evening. Nothing happened and then the next morning I took the oral 2 but held them under my tongue for half an hour before swallowing. Could be a coincidence but around an hour later blood and clots started pouring out of me. For me waiting was the hardest part so I would definitely recommend the under the tongue method.
I understand that, I think if I had a garden I would much prefer a burial and planting something nearby in memory. Sadly I live in a flat so I can't think of a good option, not sure a pot plant would be suitable. I'm finding some relief in dark humour, hope I don't offend anyone.
It's hard because I wouldn't even flush a goldfish, never mind a baby I'm tryin to talk him into talking to someone - he doesn't like to burden people though... I'm going to insist x
|Start new thread in this topic | Flip this thread | Refresh the display
Join the discussion
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join in the discussion, get discounts, win prizes and lots more.Register now
Already registered with Mumsnet? Log in to leave your comment or alternatively, sign in with Facebook or Google.
Talk: Customise | Unanswered messages | Getting started | Acronyms | FAQs
Threads: Active | I'm on | I'm watching | I started | Last 15 minutes | Last hour | Last Day
Please login first.


text:
1 - 7 out of 7 results for Armoires (About)
Shopping > Home & Garden > Furniture > Bedroom Furniture > Armoires > Shabby Chic Furniture
Go to Home Decorators Collection
Go to Walmart.com
Go to Home Depot
Go to Amazon.com Marketplace
Find, Compare, Read Reviews & Buy Find, Compare, Read Reviews & Buy Armoires Online @ Yahoo Shopping Want to see your products in Yahoo Shopping? Advertise with us. Sitemap All Brands
Terms | Privacy | About Our Ads | Help

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A law firm, located on Third Avenue at 48th Street in Midtown East, has 4 offices available for sublease. The offices can be leased together or separately. All have excellent natural light, are furnished, and come with shared access to the conference room, storage and IT area. There is also a support station available. The office pictured above measures approximately 10' x 16', and has excellent southern and western views.
Welcome to the OfficeSublets.com Blog
The mission of our blog is to keep you abreast of fantastic office spaces that we believe stand out from the pack.
To mix it up a little, we also write New York City-related articles about notable buildings and neighborhoods,
the ABCs of office leasing, and anything else we can think of.
Sublease office space in a beautiful, penthouse loft near Herald Square and Nomad. The open layout has hardwood floors, high ceilings, chandelier, track lighting, and large windows on 2 sides, providing abundant natural light throughout the day. The office is home to a high-end, fashion showroom, and, depending on your needs, the office could be shared with the showroom, or a wall can be installed to divide the space. In the rear, there is a work-area -- approximately 11' x 17', divided by a half-wall -- which can accommodate 2-4 people. Wifi is included.
Located in a fantastic building on Seventh Avenue, very close to Penn Station, this office space is available as a sublease or as a direct 3-5 year lease. The unit is on a high floor with unobstructed views from two sides. The office is move-in ready, with 2 private offices, open area, and wet pantry.
Located on West 29th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, this office sublet is close to Penn Station and Herald Square. The office was previously used for food preparation, but will be delivered vacant, ready for general office use. The space has a sink – two, actually – high ceilings, faux-wood floors, and windows on two sides, providing good natural light. This space can be offered as a short-term sublease or 3-5 year, direct lease. Great price!
This sunny, private office, which measures 18' x 11'6", is available for a short-term, summer rental – ideally through August, or September. Located on Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side, this loft building caters to artists and other creative tenants. Furnished with Wi-Fi included. Available now.
Located on Seventh Avenue in Midtown West, convenient to Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and Port Authority, this move-in-ready showroom space for lease has hardwood floors, exposed ceilings with modern lighting, two private windowed offices and storage closet. The building has a spacious, beautiful Art Deco lobby and state-of-the-art, high-end elevators. This space would be perfect for a fashion label.
For lease, loft office with shared access to conference room and pantry on West 19th Street in Chelsea. The entire floor has wood floors and high, exposed ceilings. The office measures 20' x 15.5' with 3 large, north-facing windows. Internet included.
A design firm, located in Nomad on Broadway between Herald Square and Madison Square Park, has two large desks available for rent in a mellow, laid-back atmosphere. The office space is brand new, built earlier this year. The office has an open layout with a glass-enclosed conference room, hardwood floors and high ceilings, and oversized windows that receive excellent natural light throughout the day. Ideally, the subtenant would be a creative company with synergy to graphic design and branding – marketing, PR, strategy, research, digital media – as opportunities to earn extra business are likely.
Fantastic office sublet located in Chelsea loft on West 19th Street. This is a large, private office with wood floors, exposed 11' ceilings and north-facing windows. The office has a separate meeting area within the space. Tenant will have shared access to a conference room. Internet is included.
Located on Broadway between The Woolworth Building and St. Paul's Chapel, this doorman building has a marble lobby that is both beautiful and spacious. The available private office for sublease is located within a law firm. The office, which measures approximately 168 square feet (12' x 14'), has a large, southern-facing window overlooking the churchyard and a large tree. Shared access to the conference room. Available immediately.


text:
What is a "database manager" in the context of a DBMS? Please provide examples.
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Stack Overflow is a question and answer site for professional and enthusiast programmers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
Just use Wikipedia, it has a good explanation. PostgreSQL is one of many dbms's, just take a look at the manual to see what it does. If you want to know what it does under the hood, just take a look in the source code, it's open source. Have fun!


text:
Maryport couple celebrate 60th milestone
Last updated at 13:26, Friday, 30 November 2012
Getting married meant giving up work for Margaret Perry.
She and husband Herrmon will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary next Thursday.
First published at 13:23, Friday, 30 November 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
Have your say
Be the first to comment on this article!
Make your comment
More news
- PHOTOS: Swansong prom
- PHOTOS: Sixth formers say goodbye
- Tribute to the British Schindler from man he saved
- PHOTOS: Colourful fun for cash
- Get your Glassonbury tickets or miss out!
- Workington school out of special measures (1 comment)
- Awards night held at Workington school
- Netherhall headteacher to step down
- Police appeal for help to trace Aspatria man
- Solar park plan would harm West Cumbria's economy - warning (2 comments)
Hot jobs


text:
5 Year Old Gets billed For Missing Birthday Party [Video]
Be careful what party invitations you accept. A 5 year old boy in the UK received an invoice for missing a schoolmate's birthday party. ABC News reports Alex Nash came home from preschool with a brown envelope containing an invoice for the British equivalent of $24.00 because he was a no show at a birthday party.


text:
We are pleased to introduce to you our new Evening and Student Supervisor, Katja Broddesson. She started working in the Art and Architecture Library September 9th.
Katja received her Masters of Library and Information Science from San Jose State and has a BA in English from San Francisco State. She also worked as an archivist intern at Stanford's linear accelerator facility.
Please join me in welcoming Katja to our team!
You can reach Katja at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Add comment
Recent news
July 1, 2015
Stanford University Libraries develops new software to give researchers unprecedented access to email archives
July 1, 2015
June 30, 2015
June 30, 2015


text:
Interactive Seating Charts
Unfortunately, we do not currently have
a seating chart for The Canal Club.
The Canal Club1545 East Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Upcoming Events
Aug 8
Sat TBD
Aug 12
Wed 6:00 PM
Sep 5
Sat 5:00 PM
Sep 6
Sun 5:00 PM
Sep 13
Sun 6:00 PM
About Seatgeek
We scour the web's major ticket sites and aggregate inventory into one place. Our Deal Score helps you identify the best ticket deals available for each event.Learn more about SeatGeek


text:
Lucy Hale heads out on The Road Between tour starting January 29 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Pretty Little Liars star-turned-country singer will perform songs fromm her debut album, The Road Between, including the singles "You Sound Good to Me" and "Lie a Little Better."
Lucy says, "It's been a dream come true for me to have released my first album this year. To be able to hit the road and perform is so exciting. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2015!"
Here are Lucy's 2015 tour dates:
1/29 — Boston, MA, Paradise
1/30 — New York, NY, Gramercy Theatre
1/31 — Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero Theatre
2/3 — Washington, D.C., The Fillmore
2/4 — Charlotte, NC, The Fillmore
2/5 — Nashville, TN, 3rd & Lindsley
2/7 — Atlanta, GA, The Loft
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio


text:
the courteous service
the hot tub was not working
resolution for the problem
It did have a lot of amenities and included a hot breakfast. Staff at the front desk was nice.
It is aging a little and wasn't super clean.,It was aging a little and wasn't super clean.
Staff very friendly. Kept coffee fresh
Could have been a little cleaner.
Overall, we liked everything ... your staff is very good. The room was nice and we enjoyed the little extra things...such as a coffee maker (excellent).
We didn't like the full length mirrow in the bathroom; however, it made us want to loose weight. Smile
The room size and furniture were okay, breakfast was okay to good.
The room smelled like cigarette smoke or some other odr to my senses, I wanted to move to a different room, but there were none available. The odor in the room was more than I could take, I moved out/checked out the next morning and located other lodging.
hotel was a little dated but perfect for what we needed being on planes for 14 hours straight. The hotel had alot of ammenities and the staff was very friendly and polite. They do a great job trying to make you informed and feeling invited.
nothing really
Place to sleep for the night.
When I reserved the room I said we have 2 small dogs with us. When I checked in the girl at the counter didn't ask about them so I thought I was charged. Two days later I had a $50 extra charge for sneaking the dogs in. This place will take advantage of u
This place is a real craqpfest
Comfortable beds, good breakfast, nice staff, the hot tub is hot now (last time I stayed it wasn't), nice extra blankets.
TV takes about 30 seconds to change channels, the heater stopped working twice, and they had no towels in the pool.
Great staff
Great staff, room was very clean. Building was clean
The hotel lobby was cute and decorative
No free breakfast
Loved it! Would most definitely stay again
No refrigator
Thermostat on heater and coffeemaker did not work properly.
We went for our son graduation at CU in Bolder Co. the service was excellent, the personnel very attentive at all levels and assist us when requested. We like Residence Inn and must of the times we try to stay in this hotel.
staff is very friendly
Here's why:
We're not the seller
At KAYAK we don't set prices, so it's not possible for us to guarantee what other companies are selling.
We aggregate tons of data for you
Our service lets you quickly and easily compare results from hundreds of travel sites at once. In this sense, KAYAK is a search engine and we don't guarantee prices we find.
Why aren't prices accurate 100% of the time?
Prices on airline seats, hotel rooms and car rentals can change frequently. Several people may also be trying to buy the same travel option simultaneously. As a result, you may find on occasion that certain prices are no longer available.
More questions or if you have a bad price to report to us
Please send us an
and someone from our team will get back to you promptly.
KAYAK is part of The Priceline Group, the world leader in online travel & related services.


text:
2014-15 Winter Intern: Michael
Michael Moore, a 3rd-year computer science major from Luther College, has had an extremely productive IT internship at AllSet Learning. Despite his unfamiliarity with PHP, he helped a lot with both the Chinese Grammar Wiki and the Chinese Pronunciation Wiki. He was also able to apply his Python programming skills to both audio manipulation scripts as well as Chinese textual analysis (NLP) scripts. And he even got to work on a video game! We were extremely impressed with all he was able to accomplish in such a short time.
Michael's account:
At just one and half months, I think I'm one of AllSet Learning's shortest term interns. The time has really flown and I wish I could stay longer. The small office environment provided me with a lot of practical experience that is not available in an academic setting, for both Mandarin and computer science.
I worked on several IT projects during my short time here, ranging from text processing to computer games. One of my biggest projects was helping set up the new Pronunciation Wiki, and in particular its pinyin chart. AllSet's need to provide a consistent user experience pushed me to write programs that were not just usable, but a pleasure to use.
The most fun project I worked on was the "Chinese RL Lab," a browser-based video game for learning Chinese. The graphics may be simple, but underneath I got to experiment with features such as data-driven programming, AI, and procedural generation. AllSet [will soon be making] the project open source, so I look forward to continuing to contribute.
I want to thank all the staff at AllSet learning, who were all very welcoming. John even invited me to Christmas Eve dinner at his home. Yu Cui, Weiwei, and Yang Renjun, who all made sure I stayed well-fed and taught me not to always greet with "nihao." I'll be sure to stop by whenever I'm in Shanghai!
Michael really did some amazing work, and we're all greatly benefiting from his contributions. We can't wait to release the "Chinese RL Lab" (this name will change), so stay tuned for news on that. (And Michael, don't forget to keep contributing!)
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. The original article is in English: Why Learning Chinese Is Hard.
有人说:" 学汉语并不难",这一观点AllSet Learning 的创始人John Pasden(潘吉)不太赞同。因为学汉语是他曾做过最难的事情之一。潘吉认为学习汉语是一件非常值得做的事情,但同时,也是一件很难的事。希望大家不要凭自己对难易程度的感觉去选择学习一门语言。有人就曾想当然地凭感觉选择学汉语,然后被汉语中复杂的声调吓坏了,避而远之。根据潘吉的切身经历,汉语的难度确实吓倒这样一批人。究竟学汉语的难点在哪呢?
首先,让我们来讨论一下这里说的"难"到底是什么意思。牛津字典的英语解释是:needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.
所以,当我们谈到"难"的时候, 不能把它和 "耗时"混在一起。
有人说 :
"学习汉语是一个循序渐进的过程,可以先列出简单易行的事情——学一个汉字或一句话、听一首歌或看一部电影、跟人聊天或发个邮件等等。 这其中没有一件是很难的, 潘吉大部分赞同, 但并不赞同 "学习汉语一点也不难"这一观点 。他在学习汉语的过程中发现一开始是非常难的,尽管这种难度的高低是主观判断的。但实际上把"开头难"等同于"整件事都很难"的想法是比较片面的。
投入时间 vs 掌握技巧
- 初学者:哇哦,你会杂耍球?
- 潘吉:是啊。不是很难,半小时你就能学会。
- 初学者:真的吗?让我试试。
- 初学者:这比想象中难多了。
- 潘吉:对,但你只要坚持半小时肯定能学会。
- 初学者:太难了!我还有事先走了,拜拜。
看到了吧, 一种只要半小时就能掌握的技能,为什么很多人还是觉得难呢?其实真正的原因是,当我们需要去学一门新技巧时,大脑的第一反应是"这应该不难"。确实,杂耍球的技巧是不难,扔球、接球、然后重复。大脑立马就理解了,可实际做的时候,双手却不听使唤。
其实,之所以感觉"难"是因为我们的实际表现没有想象中那么好,因而很受挫。这对于"自我"是个重大打击。 然而这种判断是比较感性的,而非理性的。更糟的是,如果你放弃一件事的原因是它不像你想的那么轻而易举就能完成,那你怎么知道自己到底有没有可能做成?
当潘吉说学汉语很难的时候,并不是指汉语学习的各个方面都很难。对潘吉而言,学汉语真正难的部分是掌握声调。潘吉最痛苦的一段时期是到中国后开始学汉语的那一年半时间,没有一个中国人能听懂他在讲什么。囧!可他并不是一个轻言放弃的人,经过不懈努力,他最终掌握了汉语。潘吉的经验是: 在学习汉语的过程中,声调是最容易让人受挫的部分。为什么呢?刚开始学汉语的时候很难区分声调,这时你会感到很绝望。后来,你可以听出声调的不同了,但却不能自己复述出来,这时你又会感到很绝望。再后来,你可以比较准确地把几个不同的声调串在一起了,但组成句子时却一团乱,这时你还是会感到很绝望。看到了吗?要掌握声调是一个漫长且挫折不的过程。每个学习者几乎都曾有过这样的经历:"这些人怎么回事? 我中文说得都没问题啊,我肯定每个词的发音都是对的,为什么他们还是听不懂呢?"这确实是会让每个学习者都很受挫的一种情况。
看到了吗?最难的部分其实就在最开始。潘吉认为,很多人汉语学到高级水平的时候,就会忘记刚开始的艰难和挫败感。这种情况潘吉在AllSet Learning的工作中每天都会遇到。对于初学者来说,这一学习曲线看起来是有一点吓人。
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. The original article is in English: How to Learn to Order Food in Chinese.
时间倒退到AllSet Learning 的创始人John Pasden曾住在杭州的日子。那时John经常和一群外国老师们出去。每次一起去中国餐厅吃饭的时候,John总会充当起"点餐员"的角色。一方面是由于John在中国呆得时间最长、中文说得最溜,但最主要的原因还是在于他能读懂中文菜单。
John认为即使是一个接受全中文授课的外国人,也很难搞定一张全是中文的菜单。也就是说,一方面,菜单上都是中文,另一方面,对菜单上汉字的理解能力直接决定了将要下肚的东西。 这样的压力不是一般的中文小测试可以相提并论的。
汉语老师在课堂上教什么我们都知道。你可以把饭 (rice), 面(noodles), 肉 (meat)这些单词背得滚瓜烂熟, 但话说回来,有人真正注意过关于"蔬菜"的那一章节吗?没有!好了,现在到了该付出代价的时候了,因为很有可能你只能看懂每个菜名的一两个字。更悲剧的是,大部分菜名都是四个字。哈!(John的心得:千万不要自以为是地去点"xxx肉"!)
John的同事JP最近迷上了一个网站"Like a Local",因为这个网站可以让他知道在中国餐厅"点什么菜"。John也给他推荐了这个网站:"How to Order Chinese Food"。这两个网站都比较有用,但若是想真正搞懂那些中文菜单,John有更好的方法。这些方法是他亲身实验过的,效果显著!
这一步看似没什么必要,可是却很有帮助!把整个中文菜单都翻译成英文是有点折磨人。感觉中文的菜名有时候完全不能直译。John的建议是:翻译字面意思,同时乐在其中。比如,"鱼香"的字面意思是"fish fragrant"(鱼的香味),一般菜单也是这样翻译的。可实际上并不是"鱼",这样的翻译太烂了!因此,John遵循了"乐在其中"的原则,把它翻译为"fishilicious"。又比如"梅干菜",英语中似乎没有一个对应的翻译。可当John一看到这道菜的时候就想到了一个描述性的菜名:"blackgrass"。这就是John的菜单,简单易学。(别忘了給中国餐厅也起一个英文名)。
以上就是所有秘诀了!如果你按照步骤好好去做,那么很有可能全中文的菜单将再也不是你的一个问题了!妙就妙在:只要你选了一个有普通家常菜的中国餐厅, 这样的事情只需做一遍。之后你就能猜出大部分中文菜名的含义,包括一些不常见的。猜不出的时候也没事,你可以点来尝尝,这会迅速弥补你的空白。
Introducing the Chinese Pronunciation Wiki
We originally launched the Chinese Grammar Wiki in 2012. We honestly didn't think it would be this long before we launched our next free resource, but it turns out fleshing out the Chinese Grammar Wiki was a ton of work (who would have guessed, right?). We are not at all finished adding to the Chinese Grammar Wiki, but it's high time we released our second major wiki resource: the Chinese Pronunciation Wiki.
The need for the Chinese Pronunciation Wiki is very similar to the original need for the Chinese Grammar Wiki:
- Consolidated Information: You can find most of this information out there on the internet now, if you take enough time to really look, but it's scattered, and some of it is bad
- Organized by Level: Although pronunciation takes a while to master, the various points that need to be covered are rarely presented in a leveled way, making clear what comes first and what comes later
- Minimal Jargon: Information should be presented in plain English, with additional notes for the linguists that want them
Our clients in Shanghai need this info, and we're pretty sure a lot of you learners out there will find it useful as well.
Here are the points we put extra time into for this release:
- An awesome pinyin chart that works in any modern browser, and supports IPA and zhuyin as well
- Our 10-part Pinyin Quick Start Guide (with audio)
- The three main tone change rules you have to know
- Erhua: the syllables that end in "r" (when it's optional and when it's not)
Here are some other areas we'll be fleshing out next:
- more on tones
- illustrations and diagrams
- other more advanced issues
There's actually a ton more we've got planned. Every pinyin initial, final, and syllable has its own page, and we have some serious interlinking going on. We'll let you know when we make major updates, but sign up for our product newsletter to make sure you don't miss out!
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. The original article is in English: Learning Curves: Chinese vs. Japanese.
AllSet Learning的创始人John Pasden曾多次被问到:汉语和日语,哪个更难学?为回答这个问题John做了如下的图表。这两个图表非常清楚地展现了两者的区别,但为避免可能会看不懂,他同时给出了一些文字说明。
日语发音刚开始学习很简单。可能有些人发 "tsu"音时会有问题,或是很难发连续的元音,比如"mae." 但是坦白地说,日语发音对母语是英语的人来说并不是一个很大的挑战。完全零基础的学习者可以用20分钟的时间记住几个句子出去和别人交流,别人也能听明白。但学习日语真正的难点是如何让自己的发音听起来像一个地道的日本人,要想使日语的音高重音和语调接近地道的日语水平是非常困难的。(John自己到现在也还没能真正实现这一点!)
对于母语是英语的人来说,汉语语法刚开始挺简单的,甚至有些人觉得简单到 "没有语法"的地步。这当然不是真的,还是有一些很难的语法点需要掌握(例如"了"的用法,这可能在语法列表中占了很大篇幅来解释)。总体来说,汉语语法并不是太难,但如果学习者想非常精通这门语言,并且最终还要学习古文,那到需要下很大的功夫!
日语的语法起初学起来就像是奇怪的火星文。但只要有决心、肯努力,最终还是可以把它拿下的!一旦学习者跨过了语法、动词词性变化、被动语态这几道坎,は,が 和 keigo 这些词就不再是问题,到那时候学习的感觉就会比较从容 。但刚开始肯定会比较难。
最后声明一下,这篇文章并不是严谨的学术研究,只是John根据自己多年的语言学习经验有感而作。 欢迎大家发表评论并分享自己在这两门语言上的学习经历。
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. The original article is in English: Tone Purgatory and Accent Exorcism.
动画大师查克·琼斯(Chuck Jones )曾采用比喻的形式给年轻的艺术家们提出了一条忠告:在我们的思想里至少有10000副糟糕的作品。如果我们越早将它们展现出来,就能越早发掘出那些深藏在我们内心深处的好作品。
AllSet Learning 的创始人John Pasden 本人很认同这一观点。并不是我们本身缺乏学习技能,而是应该先清除内在所有的"糟糕作品"。扔掉糟糕的东西远比在乱涂乱画中创造出全新的东西要简单的多,难道不是吗?我们完全可以想象这样一种情况:"糟糕的作品"在随着时间的推移被不断清除,其数量会变得越来越少、直至耗尽,而一个真正的"艺术家"即将蜕变而出。
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. The original article is in English: The Process of Learning Tones.
1. Stupefied 混沌状态
2. 3-Second Memory 3秒钟记忆
3. Individual Tone Success 成功发对单音节
在经过大量的努力和广泛接触声调后,学生将能在一个独立的语境中发出指定的声调。可喜可贺!这确实没那么简单。 在这一阶段,虽然学生很努力,但在实际对话中仍会犯大量的错误。除了最常见的单词或词组(例如"你好""谢谢"),就算学生很专注也只能发对单个音节的发音。当听到新单词时,还是不能正确辨别声调。
4. Familiar Double Tone Success 成功发对常见的双音节
当学生找到方法可以成功发出首个双音节(如"谢谢")之后,慢慢就能掌握常见单词语调降阶的规律。但是想在对话中正确发出这些词仍然是一个很大的挑战。学生的发音可能还是会受英语句子的语调影响。(请参考如下Sinosplice的发音练习文件以获得更多帮助。)我们公司创始人John Pasden的学习经验就是这一规律的典型案例。学生会发现自己发音困难的顺序跟下列很相似(从上到下依次是从易到难,同一行里的声调组合难度大致相似):
- 1-1 <–最容易
- 4-4, 2-4
- 2-2, 4-2, 1-4
- 2-3, 3-3, 1-3, 2-1
- 3-4, 3-1, 1-2
- 4-1, 4-3
- 3-2 <–最难
5. Complete Double Tone Success 成功发对完整的双音节
6. Multiple Tone Success 成功发对多音节
不管你相不相信,连续的3个字有时会让人抓狂。即使学生的双音节已经发的很好了,但还需要更多有意识的练习。如果学生可以发对双音节,那么只要稍微下点功夫就可以任意组合,只需要简单地把多音节拆分成多个双音节。(例如:一个1-3-2 多音节的组合可以看成1-3和3-2音节的交叉组合)
2014 Fall Intern: Cai Qingyang
蔡清扬 (Phyllis Cai)是一个喜欢中国传统戏剧的江苏姑娘,也是我们来自NYU的一位实习生。由于我们公司的所有客户都是个性化服务,所以有很多个性化的素材需要搜集、整理。蔡清扬在实习期间,帮助我们搜集了很多有价值的素材、翻译了相关的英语资料。并且和不同的客户进行了模拟记者采访等中文对话的演练。是一位认真负责的实习生!
蔡清扬's account:
对我而言,在Allset Learning 的实习应算是一个极难得的体验。作为一个对中文教学工作有足够的热情却缺乏工作经验的大二学生,我最初的选择更多是出于提高工作能力的考虑。 回顾在Allst Learning 实习的三个月,着实受益良多。
注:我们大部分的实习经历分享是用英语写的,因为AllSet Learning大部分的实习生都是外国人。
2014 Fall Intern: Jack
Jack Du (杜佳东) is from Shaanxi, China, and was one of our first NYU Shanghai interns, and part of a small but elite group of AllSet Learning IT interns. The project Jack worked on is not yet public, but will be soon.
In Jack's own words:
As I'm pursuing two majors, Computer Science and Interactive Media Arts, I am really passionate about coding and building cool projects. Developing games is one of my favorites. My experience at AllSet has been wonderful because I have been doing what I would like to do.
Since my schedule at school is quite full, John allows me to work on projects at school and meet him once a week. I really appreciate this flexibility so that I wouldn't waste too much time on the commute. John always has great ideas and also motivates me to have more ideas. The tasks here are not just interesting, but helpful for my future career. I started using Git and learned regex here, both of which are of vital importance to a coder.
It was great working with you, Jack, and we look forward to watching the code you worked on blossom into something bigger and greater!
2014 Fall Intern: Natalie
Natalie Kuan is a Chinese American sophomore in the NYU Shanghai program, and was one of our first NYU interns. Because Natalie had a high level of Chinese, she was well-suited to a wide variety of tasks, from Chinese Grammar Wiki editing, to social media management, to having demo lessons with our teachers, to proofreading new print versions of Mandarin Companion titles.
Natalie's account:
The past four months at AllSet Learning have flown by so fast! I first got in contact with John through my school's (NYU Shanghai) internship fair. At AllSet, I worked a lot with the Chinese Grammar Wiki, learning some basic HTML, editing content, translating example sentences, and adding pinyin to all the example sentences. By finalizing all these small details of the Chinese Grammar Wiki I realized how big of a project it is and how much effort it must have taken to get it to where it is today.
The Chinese Grammar Wiki has also made me realize how many small points of Chinese grammar I actually didn't know! One of the more challenging aspects of editing the Wiki content was adding and clarifying uses and rules. As a heritage speaker, even though I know how to use most of the grammar points, I realized that I didn't know how to explain them. Why is it that you can put 了 here and not there? To me, Chinese grammar just was the way it was, and I knew what it was purely through practice. I never had to learn all the different structures and so I really had to push myself to research and think about these grammar rules, then put them into writing. It has been such an eye-opening experience to watch the wiki grow and even get the new layout that it has today.
Another task I had at AllSet was updating the social media accounts. This allowed me to spend some time researching for interesting articles to share. Through this process, I got to learn a lot more about Chinese culture and current events. I also had the opportunity to witness how it is that a business can take advantage of the current social media trend to widely inform and promote an idea or product.
I'd like to thank all of the staff in AllSet for making my first internship in Shanghai such a wonderful and warm experience. Thank you to Yu Cui and Yang Renijun for helping me to distinguish and clarify grammar points. Thank you, Weiwei, for giving the office such a fun and bubbly atmosphere and always feeding me snacks! Lastly, thank you to John for giving me this opportunity to work in your office and for having the patience to teach me how to do the different tasks.
We really appreciate all the hard work, Natalie, and we'll miss having you in the office. Keep up all your Chinese socializing, and maybe you'll even become a Chinese teacher someday!
2014 Fall Intern: Salomé
Salomé is another example of a brave intern that took on AllSet Learning's myriad of marketing internship tasks while simultaneously learning the basics of Mandarin Chinese. She used our Pronunciation Packs for daily practice to improve her Chinese.
Salomé brought French style to the AllSet Learning team for the first time ever, and proved a big help with her Photoshop skills and also video editing skills. In addition, she helped fill our social media accounts with lots of interesting, beginner-friendly material. She was also one of the fastest-working interns we've ever had!
Coming to Shanghai I didn't really know what to expect about life here, as I had never been to Asia before. My time at AllSet Learning has been a great experience: I had the chance to not only get familiar with life in a Chinese office, but also to learn few sentences in Chinese as my level of Chinese was below 0 before coming.
During my two months at AllSet, John gave me various different tasks, from writing blog posts to taking care of the social media accounts, which always kept my work interesting. I learnt way more than I thought I would through my internship, and I feel like the skills I gained will be very beneficial for me in the future, especially when I'll start my university degree next year.
I felt really lucky to have found an internship in a small office, where I was able to ask as many questions as I wanted and see so many different aspects of the company, whether it was witnessing the designing of the new Chinese Grammar Wiki website or proofreading the Secret Garden graded reader before it was finalized for print.
I'd like to thank John for always keeping me occupied by giving me fun tasks (and making me realize I could actually like Chinese music) along with the rest of the AllSet Learning who helped me everyday to improve my Chinese pronunciation! And thank you Weiwei for helping me order my lunch everyday and make me discover new delicious Chinese food I would never have had the chance to try back home in Switzerland. My two months in the office flew by and were always enjoyable, thank you!
We'll have videos of Salomé's pronunciation progress soon. In the meantime, we wish her the best of luck, as she goes on to Costa Rica to help take care of sloths in a sloth reserve (yes, really).
This article is a translation of a Sinosplice article by John Pasden (潘吉), founder of AllSet Learning, translated to Chinese for the benefit of Chinese teachers. If your Chinese teacher asks you to call him by an English name, send him a link to this article. (Original English version here.)
这篇博文是翻译,原文来自Sinosplice.com:Chinese Teachers: Use Your Chinese Names!
2014 Summer Intern: Jazlyn
Jazlyn Akaka is one of very few IT interns that we've had in the AllSet Learning office over the years, and she did an amazing job. One of the first things she did on the job was to clear up some office networking issues that had been plaguing us for months, and then she went on to be hugely valuable in her super-thorough testing of the AllSet Learning Online Store leading up to its launch.
There are tons of IT needs at AllSet Learning, so she also got to practice her Mandarin some valuable AllSet staff training in Chinese.
Let her tell you about it:
Working at AllSet Learning this past summer was such a great experience! Heading into my internship my hopes were to improve my Chinese and learn more about computer science. Not only did I learn more with respect to my major, computer science, but I was also in an environment conducive to improving my Chinese.
These past two months I mainly worked on alpha testing the AllSet Learning Online Store. At the tail end of my internship, one of my favorite tasks was giving Yu Cui different IT pointers using Chinese. I think this was one of my favorite assignments while I was at AllSet because it helped me to improve my Chinese, and it provided me with the opportunity to converse with someone about what I've been studying in college.
Thank you so much to the AllSet Learning team! You made my time in Shanghai so enjoyable, and I will not forget my experience working with you.
Thanks a lot for all your hard work, Jazlyn! We couldn't have launched the Store nearly as quickly without you, and you're always welcome here in Shanghai.
2014 Summer Intern: Zach
Zach Herzog was one of the braver interns we've every had, because he took on a summer internship where he had to learn Chinese (he started the internship not speaking any), and he also had to complete his other duties with almost non-existent Chinese. He blew us away with what he learned in 6 short weeks, though!
Zach's duties were largely marketing related, and aside from serving as a guinea pig to help show the effectiveness of our Pronunciation Packs, he also did market research, product research, wrote some blog posts, tested out some apps, and even gave his own recommendations for future Mandarin Companion story titles.
In Zach's own words:
After studying abroad in the Spring of 2012, I discovered that I have a love for travel and a huge interest in learning about different cultures. As a business major, interning in China seemed like a perfect opportunity to learn about life in one of the world's oldest and largest economies, as well as a culture totally different from life in the States.
I was so lucky to find AllSet Learning. As a small office, I was able to see so many different aspects of business. From marketing strategies to website design, I feel like I really learned some hard skills to take back as I finish my degree. John was a great mentor and taught me a ton about what it takes to run your own company. His love for China is contagious and he and his staff were so helpful in teaching me about the culture and helping me make the most of my time here. And while I had never spoken a word of Chinese before landing in Shanghai, I was surprised at how quickly I picked up the pronunciation from some of the exercises and products that AllSet has developed.
I also have to give a huge thanks to Weiwei, Yu Cui, and Yang Renjun for helping me adjust to life in Shanghai, and for teaching me so much about China (as well as exposing me to ever increasingly spicy foods!) My six weeks working here has been absolutely unforgettable. I am so thankful for the skills I gained, and I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone in the future!
Zach actually starred in two short videos which highlight the progress that can be made in just 6 weeks, regular practicing with our Pronunciation Packs under a teacher's guidance. We'll also be posting those soon.
Great work, Zach, and enviable attitude! Keep up that Chinese, and come practice with our staff anytime…
The Benefits of Versioning
AllSet Learning has recently launched its own Online Store for digital products that help you learn Chinese. One of the key features of the store is its versioning system. If you use any kind of software (especially smartphone or tablet apps), you're probably familiar with versions already. But the concept can be applied to more than just apps. It could be applied to ebooks, or even music. And it can certainly be applied to our digital products.
In a nutshell, the way it works is that any time a new version of a product is released, anyone who has purchased that product receives an email notification about the new version. Those paying customers can then download the new version for free.
There are several key benefits to this kind of versioning:
- You don't have to check for new versions; you're notified as they are released, and updating is as easy as logging in and clicking a download link.
- Paying customers benefit long-term from ongoing development of products. AllSet Learning is committed to continually improving its products, and as a customer, you should benefit from that.
- As an early adopter of new products, you can "get in on the ground floor" for a cheaper price. As products develop, their scope may expand, and their prices will increase accordingly. If you're more risk-averse, you may be happier plunking down more money for a more mature product that already has good buzz, and that's fine.
- When you give feedback on existing products, it's often easy for us to make changes and issue an update.
We're currently getting in touch with our customers and gathering feedback to issue a round of updates. New products are coming as well. We're excited about growing our offerings, and we urge you to check out the AllSet Learning Online Store if you haven't already!
How to Use Pronunciation Packs
With the release of the AllSet Learning Online Store, we are now offering Pronunciation Packs to help elementary and intermediate learners of Chinese improve their pronunciation in critical areas. The key components of the Pronunciation Packs themselves are professional-quality MP3 audio files and PDF word lists. So how does one use these tools?
For a creative learner or teacher, the possibilities are limitless, but most of us would prefer a bit of guidance. That is why every pronunciation pack comes with an Instructions PDF outlining:
- How a learner can effectively use these Pronunciation Packs on her own
- How a teacher can use these Pronunciation Packs as pats of Chinese lessons
- A Chinese version of the instructions for the teacher
You can check out the current version (1.0) of the Instructions by downloading the PDF yourself:
Just keep in mind that all products in the store will be updated with new versions, and that includes these PDF instructions. They'll keep getting better and more complete with each update. (The file linked to here will not be updated.)
Thank you, Chinese learners, for your support of the AllSet Learning Online Store, and we look forward to sharing new products and updates with you in the future!
Introducing the Online Store
We're proud to announce that the new AllSet Learning Online Store is now open for business! AllSet Learning has created iPad apps before, and even penned Chinese graded reader ebooks, but now you can also get great learning content directly from us as well.
Why a store?
Some of our users might be wondering why we made this move. For us, it's been a totally natural transition.
From the start, AllSet Learning has served Chinese learners in Shanghai as its main business. Because each client's needs are different and the core of our services is personalization, we've had to develop quite a few different types of materials to meet our clients' needs if there's not already an existing study resource to do the job. The Chinese Grammar Wiki started out this way as well. But pronunciation has always been a key focus of our personalized instruction, and pronunciation practice has been a key component in our clients' lessons over the years. As clients use them and provide feedback, we've seen which ones get the best results, and then refined them accordingly. More than four years later, it definitely feels like it's time to share these with a larger audience.
The great thing about offering our digital products directly through our own website is that we can literally release anything we want. We've got lots of ideas, but sharing what we've already been working on for years first is a no-brainer.
Also, by establishing our own store, we can assert certain principles we believe in. One key one is a dedication to quality, supported by versioning. Put simply, we believe our products can always be better, and we intend to keep improving them. Any time you buy a product from our store, you also receive all future, improved versions of that product for free. (We'll be talking more about this idea in a future post.)
We hope that you find our current "Pronunciation Pack" offerings useful. We will also be releasing more products (and new versions), and if you'd like to be updated on those, please do sign up for our newsletter.
Adventures in Chinese Haggling
Our summer intern Zach had zero Chinese when he started. That hasn't stopped him from communicating! Here's how he did with just "Dūo shăo qían?" (how much?) and "TaÌ guÌ le!" (too expensive!).
I started learning Chinese just 13 days ago. My vocabulary is still in the infancy (I can say "delicious" and occasionally ask for water) and my practice of tones sounds like a pitchy falsetto singer sliding around the octave. But with every new word I've learned, a little bit more of China has opened up for me. Ordering my own food in a restaurant has become a highlight of my day, although I do get offended when they bring me a fork instead of chopsticks.
This past weekend, I was ready to get out of Shanghai and try a bit of my local tongue outside of Shanghai. I can still only form about six coherent sentences (and one of them is "Nĭ hăo") but in my mind, I was ready. With a train ticket to Suzhou in hand, my goal was to dive into the culture and see how much I could discover.
Realizing that haggling was a great way to get started, I prepared two phrases for my adventure: "Dūo shăo qían?" and "taÌ guÌ le!" I figured that I would ask the first question, and regardless of the response, I would answer with "too expensive."
Walking around the souvenir shops of Ganjing Lu, I took careful attention to select the right item. With the temperature and humidity climbing well beyond my comfortable threshold from back home, I decided to purchase a fan. One particular tourist trap had a beautifully crafted selection. I picked one out that featured a picture of Confucius on one side and some hanzi writing on the other.
Nervousness settled into my chest as I realized I was about to have to talk to someone. My pronunciation is average at best. Beyond the few phrases I've learned, my vocabulary is almost non-existent. This could be really messy and really embarrassing, but if I didn't give it a shot, I would never know for sure what would happen.
I waved at one of the women that was walking around and managing the store.
This was the big moment. I was about to enter the world of International price negotiation. I just had to ask one question, give one objection, and suggest a lower price. Then I was going to be the proud owner of a fan.
With a curious look on my brow, I asked, "Dūo shăo qían?"
The woman pulled a small spiral note pad out of her pocket. Cool! I thought. She understood me.
She wrote something on it and turned the pad to face me. It read 19.
Here I go!
"TaÌ guÌ le!" I said, with feigned outrage at the price. Now the real negotiating would begin.
Or at least this is where the negotiating was supposed to begin. Instead, she shrugged, put the note pad back in the pocket of her apron, and walked away.
I think this raises an interesting point about international travel. Just because I've seen how a process works does not mean I know how the process works. In the end, traveling is all about meeting and working with people, and people everywhere are unpredictable.
But this also meant that as I boarded the train back to Shanghai, I had failed in my haggling mission. It was my first weekend outside of Shanghai since arriving in China, and my small limited vocabulary had gotten me nothing.
But as the train clipped along at 297km/hour, I realized the value of putting myself out there in his wildly foreign language. I turned around and noticed the woman sitting in the seat next to me had an empty water bottle wedged in the seat pocket of the chair ahead of her.
I smiled at her and pointed at the water bottle. "Dūo shăo qían?" I asked.
She looked at me and then at the water bottle. It was obvious she was confused. After saying something I didn't understand, she silently stood up and moved to empty seat across the aisle from me and sat back down.
I did my best to keep to a straight face as I turned around and looked back out the window. Now, I was 0-2, but I was also really proud of myself. Learning a language is a hard process. It can be nerve-racking, but everybody says stupid things at first and makes awkward mistakes in the process. By hopping on trains to new places, trying to talk to new people, and looking foolish every step of the way, I'm learning a lot both as a global citizen and a language student. If shrugged shoulders and extra elbow room on a train are the worst thing that can happen, it is totally worth taking the chance to engage with people.
I look forward to learning more and testing out my skills on future adventures.
2014 Spring Intern: Michelle
Michelle Birkenfeldt was AllSet Learning's first Danish intern, and she did a great job of using her Chinese skills to help with various academic tasks. Although naturally a shy person, she was here long enough to warm up to everyone and really practice a lot of Chinese. She started interning in October 2013, and continued all the way until May 2014 (with some well-deserved breaks for travel in China).
She had a lot to say, so we'll let her do most of the talking:
I came to China as an addition to my bachelor degree in Denmark. I mainly came here to study Chinese language, business and culture at Donghua University, but I quickly found out I would need more than books to improve my Chinese as much as I wanted to. After pulling some contacts here in China I came in contact with a company that offered me a scholarship. That was when I was introduced to AllSet Learning. After working here my Chinese improved super fast thanks to the teachers in office who are always happy to talk and ask lots of questions. They were always happy and interested in knowing things about my country and me since I was the first Danish intern at this company. They were also willing to help me if I had any questions about schoolwork or other stuff.
During my 8 months internship at AllSet Learning I have done lots of different things! At first I helped correcting sentences on the Chinese Grammar Wiki and came up with new suggestions for changes. Other than that I also read different graded readers, came up with suggestions for changes, answered questions about graded readers, photoshopped images for the Grammar Wiki, checked words for mistakes in online dictionaries, looked through LOTS of dictionaries in order to find new grammar points for the Chinese Grammar Wiki, tested iPad apps, participated in teacher meetings, walked around Shanghai in order to take pictures for the Grammar Wiki, and so on.
There were always lots of tasks, so you could always be sure you had something to do, and most of the time they were also fun things. To sum it all up, it has been great working at AllSet Learning and I have met lots of new people though this place that have all been very nice and helpful. My Chinese improved a lot during my time here (definitely also because of the "only-Chinese" office rule), which was what I wanted to obtain through this internship. It has been great being a part of something that for sure one day in the future will become something very big!
You're always welcome at the AllSet Learning office, Michelle!
2013 Fall Interns: Logan and Ashyln
Logan Pauley and Ashyln Weber were two Centre College students that helped extensively with testing early versions of the graded reader stories which AllSet Learning created for Mandarin Companion. Their intermediate levels of Chinese and dedicated attitudes were a tremendous help. As a result, they were even thanked by name in the books they worked on at AllSet Learning.
In addition, they both also did some good work on the Chinese Grammar Wiki.
In Logan's words:
Studying in China for the fall semester, my main goal was to improve my Mandarin skills. Immersion and constant discussion with experienced teachers, editing and testing Mandarin Companion graded readers, and doing translations and edits for the Grammar Wiki truly afforded me an opportunity to enhance and apply Mandarin in a tangible way. During the internship, I could really see improvement in not only my knowledge of Mandarin, but also my confidence in using it.
While my responsibilities in the office had a lasting impact, the atmosphere John. Yu Cui, Renjun, and Siping fostered made the internship what it was — lighthearted and fun, but productive. Some of my fondest memories of Shanghai include being made fun of / trying to defend myself while testing graded reader discussion questions (and, later, drowning my sorrows with a Mex & Co. burrito!)
Although my time at AllSet is over, I'm truly grateful for the opportunity and really hope to revisit the office someday! Thank you so much!
Thanks a lot, Logan and Ashyln! We know we'll see you around these parts again.
AllSet Pinyin 2.0
AllSet Learning Pinyin 2.0 has been released, and is now available as a universal app with retina graphics which works on both the iPhone (tall and short) as well as the iPad. We've actually been working on this app for quite a while. Why did it take so long? This app was a total rewrite of the original, and now takes full advantage of the new "auto-layout" features which enable it to work flawlessly on iPhones and iPads.
So what's new that you can actually see?
- Updated "slide-out" menu
- New design for settings, addons, and "about" info
- Added elements of iOS7 design
- Fixed the audio for the "cai" syllable (it sounded a little weird)
Here are some shots of the new design (iPhone 5 screen size):
Note that the app also supports Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese. Here are a few examples of that:
Since releasing our pinyin chart app in 2012, we've noticed a lot of other pinyin apps released, some even clerly "borrowing from" our own carefully considered design. Many of them even add in ads to try to monetize a free app, or cripple functionality in an effort to make users pay.
We're dedicated to making a useful app for learning pinyin, and we believe adding ads to an app like this is just too annoying (especially for an iPhone version). We've got plans for making this app even more useful in the future, and we hope that our users will support our efforts and help spread the word!
One way is to retweet our announcement on Twitter:
Our Pinyin app, version 2.0, is out! It now works on iPhone and iPad, iOS 6 and iOS 7. Still free, still awesome. https://t.co/wll24MGZOh
— AllSet Learning (@allsetlearning) May 23, 2014
Another is to share our Facebook post announcement.
And, of course, 5-star reviews in the App Store are extremely helpful in keeping us going.
Thanks for your support!
Story Selection for Mandarin Companion
The AllSet Learning team handled the story writing for the hot new series of Chinese graded readers, Mandarin Companion. As a result, we also had to wrangle with some serious academic issues. One of the questions frequently asked about these new books is how we chose the stories. People find it odd that we chose to write adapted versions of western classics rather than just using Chinese stories. Well, there are good reasons for the choices (and there's no ethnocentrism involved!)
Reason #1: Traditional Chinese Stories Are Difficult
Sorry, but it's true. Traditional Chinese stories often involve ghosts, monsters, spells, emperors, war tactics, and all kinds of really cool themes. The only problem is that each of these brings with it some pretty complicated vocabulary. To make matters worse, a lot of these words are written with rare characters. When you're writing a graded reader (especially at Level 1, the 300-character level), impractical vocabulary is a no-no, but the use of obscure characters is absolutely taboo.
One potential workaround is to "adapt" the Chinese stories themselves. "Simplify" them. This seems like a good idea at first, but serious simplification is always needed, and that usually requires some pretty serious compromises. Character identities and whole plot points might need to be drastically altered. While the average reader may be fairly forgiving in this department, the average Chinese person may be less tolerant. To many Chinese, such changes amount to making the story wrong, to slandering sacred Chinese culture. Obviously, that's not our intent, but significant changes to Chinese classic stories can upset people for cultural reasons.
So when you add up vocabulary/character challenges and cultural barriers to story modifications, our conclusion is that you're better off avoiding the traditional Chinese material for the lowest levels. We wish it wasn't so!
Reason #2: Western Classics Are Easy
It's not that the stories themselves are inherently simpler, it's that classics like The Secret Garden already have a long tradition of translations, simplifications, and adaptations. As westerners, we're used to it. It doesn't bother us (even when they're really wacky, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). When we tell prospective readers that we have Chinese versions (fully adapted to the Chinese context, with all Chinese characters and Chinese settings) of classic western stories like The Secret Garden and Rip Van Winkle, the reaction is usually, "cool!" It often deepens reader interest, sometimes to the point of interest becoming how we adapted this particular story to the Chinese context. That's a reaction you can't get from your audience when you use unfamiliar Chinese stories, and we've found that our Chinese would-be-allies tend to be somewhat skeptical about westerners tinkering with the inner workings of Chinese classics.
We're fine with all this, really. It just means that…
Conclusion: Western Classics Are a Better Starting Point
It's not that we think it's a bad idea to ever do Chinese classics. We want to. It's just that for the lowest level, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Rather than cramming more obscure characters down our readers' throats, we'd prefer that they just got started reading earlier. That means the simplest possible content conducive to compelling stories for Level 1, and the content that works best at those levels.
Mandarin Companion does have plans for simplified Chinese classics as well as original content (sci-fi, anyone?) at higher levels. We'll be happy to help them make that happen!
Chinese Picture Book Reader 1.3
The Chinese Picture Book Reader version 1.3 has finally hit the app store! This version addresses what we've been hearing the most: the app needs more content. So it's got it, both free and paid. Here's what's new in this version of the app:
- The app is now both iOS6 and iOS7 compatible, and entirely RETINA (iPad 3+), and all new books support retina.
- The big change is lots of NEW BOOKS, both free and paid. Fee content has been updated to a new, retina style.
- We've added a nifty new parallax transition effect to the textbox as you swipe between pages.
- The app home has been refreshed a bit and made more consistent with the rest of the app.
New books include:
- Life in the Countryside, a narrated photo set featuring the work of China-based photographer Sean Hanratty
- College Kid Interview #4: "What Chinese city do you like most?"
- College Kid Interview #5: "Who is your hero?"
- College Kid Interview #6: "In the past 10 years, what do you think has been the biggest change in China?"
- College Kid Interview #7: "What do you think is the best way to pursue someone you like?"
- College Kid Interview #8: "If you want to live pretty well in Shanghai, how much do you think your salary should be?"
If you enjoyed any of the "college kid interview" series content before, you'll definitely appreciate this update. There are now more voices, photos, and real handwriting, all in a new high-res design.
We hope you like the updates. More to come!
Word Boxes on the Chinese Grammar Wiki
In our endless endeavor to make the Chinese Grammar Wiki useful and accessible, we've added yet another feature: word boxes. Word boxes? That's right, on all of our keyword pages we have added a box that automatically links up to other websites that can help you get a deeper understanding of the vocabulary and usage of each individual word. Websites like MDBG are great for understanding the definitions of words, while Jukuu and Weibo can show you the words in real sentences. These are more resources to help you on your way to Chinese fluency, and we are glad to help you find them.
The word boxes do not necessarily have specific ties to any individual grammar point. Instead, the word boxes link to different kinds of websites: dictionaries, explanations, and example sentences. This way, if you are unsure as to the actual function of a word, you can look it up and clear up the confusion before you study the concept. Additionally, the example sentences are a great way to see the word and its related phrases in action. If the examples on the Grammar wiki aren't sufficient, the examples sentences from other websites will help show you the correct usage and their contexts.
Here's an example of how a learner might use the word boxes for 在:
- The learner is browsing the article on "Zai" following verbs
- The learner clicks on the keyword "在" in the box at the right, taking her to the keyword page for 在
- The learner clicks on the links in the word box at the right, getting lots of extra examples using 在
The Grammar wiki will still be the go-to resource for Chinese grammar, but we are happy to link to other websites that offer excellent additional information that we're not in the best position to provide. The information on all of these websites complements the information that we provide on the Grammar Wiki, providing a fuller, deeper understanding of how the words fit into Chinese grammar. We can provide the explanations for the constructions and then we show learners where they can read and practice the constructions that they've just learned.
The new word boxes create a network with the Chinese Grammar Wiki spreading out and connecting to other Chinese learning websites. This way, your Chinese learning experience will be more complete, and your comprehension of the grammar concepts will be better for it. Check out the new word boxes and let us know on Facebook or Twitter (@ChineseGrammar) what you think of them!
2013 Summer Intern: Ben
American Ben Slye was recommended to AllSet Learning by previous intern Parry, and turned out to be a great fit. Through a variety of duties, Ben proved that he was an industrious addition to the AllSet Learning team for the summer. (Our teachers in the office also thoroughly enjoyed joking around with him as they helped him improve his Chinese.)
Ben's projects included graded reader research, graded reader testing, app testing, taking Chinese "training lessons" with AllSet Learning teachers, assisting with blog post writing, and editing and enhancing the Chinese Grammar Wiki.
Ben had this to share about his internship experience:
My time at AllSet has just flown by. I thought a summer would feel longer than this, but the people in the office always made it fun. Between making me do translations for the Grammar Wiki to giving feedback on any new materials, I was always surrounded by Chinese, which was just the way I wanted it! Most of my time here was spent fine-tuning the Grammar Wiki, making it more connected and more accessible. I was also able to participate in some of the teacher training programs, giving a student's perspective on the way that they taught. I loved seeing those meetings and how a consulting business like AllSet conducted them.
Of course, having native Chinese speakers to work with really helped my speaking ability. Just being able to talk to them every day, making jokes or asking about their weekends, it was always possible to practice Chinese. Plus I was talking to teachers, so they knew how to get me to learn better! Every time I tried they would be able to correct me or give me some new vocab, so there was always more to learn. I filled pages of my notebook with new words, and I always made sure to use any new grammar they taught me (although not necessarily correctly). They would keep correcting me, and I can see a definite improvement since starting here.
Although my stint at AllSet is over, I am so grateful for the opportunity, and so happy to have met the wonderful people that I have in Shanghai. It's been great!
Thank you for everything, Ben! You were truly a powerhouse when it came to Grammar Wiki editing, and we all loved having you around full-time. The office definitely felt emptier when your internship ended. (Good thing you left your precious notebook behind so we have something to remember you by….)
P.S. Yes, of course we got his precious notebook back to him!


text:
I am toying with the idea of installing a set of TV Jones PUs in my McKorina. I have a DGT Standard that covers the spectrum of my McKorina...just want to try something different. Anyone else done this?
MODS...if this is in the wrong section please feel free to move it.


text:
A collection of news and information related to Shayne Graham published by this site and its partners.
Top Shayne Graham Articles
Displaying items 100-110
Virginia Tech's 1999 seasonStory | Aug 23, 2009Virginia Tech 1999 game by game Game 1: Sept. 4, 1999 Virginia Tech 47, James Madison 0 In short: The Hokies dominated Division I-AA JMU as redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Vick rushed for three touchdowns in his debut, and the Hokies...
Looking back at Virginia Tech's 1999 season
Day 1: Virginia Tech's landmark season
Day 2: Vick was the catalyst
W & M thrillers, I-AA finals among finestStory | Aug 30, 2009Oct. 26, 1985 — VMI 39, William and Mary 38. Quarterback Al Comer scored at the gun to pull VMI within a point, and James Wright got the two-point conversion on a flanker reverse to cap a wild game at Alumni Field. Thirty-two points in the fourth...
Day 5: A last-second field goal saved the Hokies' unbeaten season
Day 5: BCS ratings wracked nerves of fansStory | Aug 27, 2009As Virginia Tech steamed toward an unbeaten regular season in 1999 and the national championship game, the attention of Hokie Nation was divided between the team and a complicated and maddening rating system. The Bowl Championship Series is one of the...
Game 8: Ravens mauled by BengalsStory | Nov 9, 2009It now seems appropriate that Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco sent deodorant to the Ravens a couple of days ago. Maybe it's time for the Ravens to start sweating.Showing no sense of urgency for a critical AFC North game, the Ravens fell apart...
Sept. 5, 1999: Injury spoils Vick's shining debut at Virginia Tech
Dec. 12, 1999: Vick humbled by Heisman experienceStory | Nov 10, 2009 | 10:42 AMFinally, a town bigger than Michael Vick. College football's most celebrated freshman since Herschel Walker is larger than life in our fair commonwealth, but not in the city that never sleeps. Even as Vick, Virginia Tech's extraordinary quarterback,...
Jan. 5, 2000: Vick and Tech put on a show, burt Seminoles were show-stoppersStory | Nov 10, 2009 | 10:46 AMichael Vick tried. Lordy, how he tried. But not even Vick, impervious, evasive and the darndest freshman quarterback college football has witnessed in eons, could win the national championship for Virginia Tech on Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl. Too...


text:
Home » Get Informed » News
Nine Members of Militia on SPLC Watch List Indicted in Plot
Members of the Hutaree militia in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana were indicted in what authorities described as a plot to murder a police officer, then use explosives to attack other officers at the funeral. Two Hutaree chapters were included on a list of militia groups released by the SPLC in early March. Read more on the Hatewatch blog.
- Who We Are
- What We Do
- Get Informed
- Get Involved


text:
Premier Program JOIN FREE!
Premier Members Enjoy:
Exclusive pricing and volume discounts
3% BACK on every purchase
Fast & FREE shipping on thousands of items
Save time with your account manager
Over 7 million products to choose from
Quick & easy PO terms for qualifying accounts
Buying for a business, school, or organization?Save even more with our FREE Premier Program for business professionals. CONTINUE
Samsill Corporation Presentation Binder, Round Ring, 11 X 8-1/2, 2/Pack
Samsill Corporation Presentation Binder, Round Ring, 11 X 8-1/2, 2/Pack
Weights & Dimensions
|Product Type: Ring Binder
|Ring Size: 1"
|Binder Style: View
|Fastener Style: Round Ring
|Color: Yellow
|Country of Manufacture: United States
About the ManufacturerSamsill Corporation is one of the world's largest independently owned manufacturers of business accessories, laptop cases, media storage, ring binders and sheet protectors. With corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in Fort Worth, TX, Samsill has grown from a small family business to an international corporation serving the office products, consumer electronics, and education markets.
Samsill Corporation Presentation Binder, Round Ring, 11 X 8-1/2, 2/Pack
Still have questions about this product? We're here to help
Customer Reviews
Tell Us What You Think!
Tell us what you think about this product. It will help us provide you with better products in the future and help your fellow shoppers make better purchases.Write the first review
OUR SKU # UIZ1186Presentation Binder, Round Ring, 11 X 8-1/2, 2/Pack is also sometimes listed under the following manufacturer numbers: SAMU86378


text:
eBOOKS new!
Featured Authors:
Burton Wolfe, iHenry Miranda, iCarl David, iRonald Yates, iDavid Litwack, ial squitieri,sr, iCraig Nagasugi, i
· + Follow Me
· Contact Me
· Books
· Stories
· 4 Titles
· 3 Reviews
· Save to My Library
· Share with Friends!
· Member Since: Oct, 2007
David J.S. King, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Featured Book
Under the Coolabah Tree
by Wendy Laing
In approximately 15,000 words (12 chapters, this short story for seven to 12-year-olds and especially their adult readers reveals my connection through my children to the animal world. From the beginning, it is clear that this is more than a dream -- it is in fact something I feel a little as a threat. And the children themselves only see the animals in their natural habitat gradually. But they learn eventually that they just are animals, and, although the world is in crisis, the answer lies in their ability to coexist with the animals, something their elders have been too arrogant to even try. If only we adults can give them the space, it is up to the children of all species now.
Synopsis, Animal World
The narrator is the father of Brendan, 7, and Lavinia, 10. He has realized that his children have been going to animal world at night and is in part fascinated by the beauty they had seen and in part frightened by some feeling that their contact with the wild could be somehow a threat.
The children are happy to tell their father what they have seen -- although somehow it is clear that as a grown-up he cannot come with them -- at least yet. They recount in vivid detail how they first learned to understand the wild -- on land and in the sea -- and then to see the animals. They see the beauty and also the cruelty of survival of the fittest.
The children learn the hard way that animals do not look to appreciate in the wild and almost become dinner for a jaguar. They are saved by a lioness who has learned to care about children because her own offspring is lame and would never be allowed to survive under the rule of survival of the fitness.
There has to be an answer! The children can see that grown-ups -- if sorry for the lioness's child -- can only agree that it must die. But they can't help but feel if the animals could only communicate, they would find an answer, at least the children would.
But animals cannot communicate like humans. I can see that their well-intentioned attempt to bring them together in a meeting cannot work. The human representative sees a business opportunity to form a zoo with himself as dictator and only loses out at the last minute to the lions who in the end appoint themselves King.
This is not the animal world as my children or the lioness conceive it. If they want to overcome the prejudices of grown-ups, they need the support of a sympathetic grown-up. That is why the lioness had been watching me and the reason for the foreboding I had felt all this time.
It is not easy to convince me. I know there are many reasons for the survival of the fittest and its laws have resulted in an animal world that is in many ways beautiful. But humans learned to leave it. Words are not our only or even most basic means of communication. The lioness -- like me -- is skeptical, but we feel a need to follow our children.
They do win the right to try. And it is a big risk for everyone! Power is given to the children -- the children not only of humans but of all species. It is hard to imagine what compromises they will find for us all as we depend so much on eating each other for survival. We adults sit in the Senate watching anxiously as the children learn to communicate, ready if need be to interpose vetoes to return to the way things had failed in the past.
Words in Your Sandbox
by Ann Streetman
Boomer the Bengal Cat by Karen Pitchford
by Amy Sellers
Featured Authors |
New to AuthorsDen? |
Add AuthorsDen to your Site
Share AD
with your friends |
Need Help? | About


text:
Real Madrid C.F. started the defense of its Champions League crown with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Basel on Tuesday, while Liverpool F.C.... ...http://www.orissaindia.com/sportsNewsDetails.asp?id=SP1098
Serie A giants Juventus have rejected Arsenal's opening bid for their young defender Daniele Rugani, according to reports in The Daily Star . It... ...http://www.thesportscampus.com/2015070544222/transfer-news/arsenal-face-initial-disappointment-in-attempt-to-sign-juve-rock
Marco Simone, the former AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco striker, has been named the new coach of French second-tier club Tours. The... ...https://in.news.yahoo.com/football-former-ac-milan-striker-170436854.html
Real Madrid are said to be readying a £21m bid for Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, according to a report in The Mirror. The French... ...https://in.news.yahoo.com/rumour-real-madrid-plot-21m-124751689.html
The current Arsenal squad may be one of the best ones that the club has had in recent times, but their quality, it seems, has failed to impress... ...http://www.thesportscampus.com/2015062443863/english-premiership/arsenal-stars-fail-to-feature-in-the-good-books-of-former-man-united-ace
Football Biography
0 Followers


text:
Our location guide for Aldbourne provides some basic essentials for the more adventurous visitor. A simple location map is provided but also a detailed topography map that shows the location of the nearest places where you can surf, ski or mountain climb (if they are close by). Of course some of these will be at long distances from Aldbourne and those far flung spots are provided on the 'nearest' tables. If you are traveling to other cities or towns near Aldbourne you will also find weather forecasts for those locations below.
|Other places close to Aldbourne:
|Place Name
|1–3 Day Summary
|4–6 Day Summary
|7–9 Day Summary
27 km
|Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night
|Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri night
|Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Wed night
35 km
|Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue night
|Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri night
|Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Mon night
36 km
|Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon
|Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night
|Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night
37 km
|Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon
|Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night
|Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night
41 km
|Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue night
|Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri night
|Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon night
Outdoor Activities near Aldbourne
If you are in Aldbourne and would like to go mountain climbing, hiking, skiing or surfing, click below for detailed forecasts.
Tide times close to Aldbourne:
|Closest tide times1
|Immingham Dock, Humberside (United Kingdom)
|50 km W
|Second closest tide times2
|Wellhouse Rock, River Severn (United Kingdom)
|52 km W
|Third closest tide times3
|Inward Rocks, Severn River (United Kingdom)
|58 km WSW
|Fourth closest tide times4
|Beachley (Aust), Severn River (United Kingdom)
|59 km WSW
|Fifth closest tide times5
|Chepstow (United Kingdom)
|62 km WSW
Ski Resorts close to Aldbourne:
|Closest ski resort1
|Another World Ski and Snowboard Centre (United Kingdom)
|246 km N
|Second closest ski resort2
|Raise (United Kingdom)
|341 km NW
|Third closest ski resort3
|Weardale Ski Club (United Kingdom)
|347 km N
|Fourth closest ski resort4
|Harwood Common (United Kingdom)
|352 km N
|Fifth closest ski resort5
|Yad Moss (United Kingdom)
|354 km N
Mountains close to Aldbourne:
|Closest mountain peak1
|Dragon Hill, Uffington (United Kingdom)
|15 km E
|Second closest mountain peak2
|Uffington White Horse (United Kingdom)
|15 km E
|Third closest mountain peak3
|Milk Hill (United Kingdom)
|22 km S
|Fourth closest mountain peak4
|Walbury Hill (United Kingdom)
|33 km SE
|Fifth closest mountain peak5
|Pilot Hill (United Kingdom)
|35 km SE
Surf Beaches close to Aldbourne:
|Closest surf break1
|Highcliffe (United Kingdom)
|93 km S
|Second closest surf break2
|Boscombe Pier (United Kingdom)
|95 km S
|Third closest surf break3
|Southbourne (United Kingdom)
|95 km S
|Fourth closest surf break4
|Bournemouth Pier (United Kingdom)
|96 km S
The above topographic map of Aldbourne and the surrounding area has been derived from satellite mapping. The topographic data has been illuminated by a light source corresponding to the position of the sun at mid afternoon in summer. Major roads, railways rivers and other water features are derived from global GIS data.


text:
Gallery: Elektra One Electric Plane Successfully Completes Maiden Fligh...
We're excited to announce that the Elektra One electric airplane has just successfully completed its first and second flights in Augsburg, Germany! Developed by Calin Gologan, the electric aircraft endured a 30 minute emission-free flight. The Elektra One climbed to a height of 1,640 feet at 400 feet per minute, and it handled very well according to test pilots Jon Karkow and Norbert Lorenzen. It also only expended three kilowatt-hours of the total stored six kilowatt-hours available.
1 Comment
caeman March 28, 2011 at 9:40 am
Electric flight offers a lot benefits. You reduce the complexity of the craft when you remove the engine. With fuel tanks gone, the balance of the craft doesn't change as fuel tanks empty. There is also the noise factor.
Unlike cars, the distance limitations of the batteries and re-charge time would not be as much of an issue. You fly in to somewhere, stay for a day, leave the next day. You have plenty of time to recharge.
follow inhabitat on:
186 Comments >
19-Year-Old Develops Ocean Cleanup Array That Could Remove 7,250,000 Tons Of Plastic From the World's Oceans
- 121 Comments >
- 39 Comments >
- 143 Comments >
13 Comments >
FDA finds majority of herbal supplements at GNC, Walmart, Walgreens, and Target don't contain what they claim - instead cheap fillers like wheat and soy powder
- 25 Comments >
- 11 Comments >
- 19 Comments >
- 2002 Comments >
411 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY: Enter to Win a HP Pavilion dv6 Laptop and Green Prize Package (Worth $1155!)
- 392 Comments >
- 366 Comments >
- 351 Comments >
284 Comments >
LAST CHANCE: Enter to Win a Voltaic Laptop-Charging Solar Backpack Filled With Green School Supplies (Worth $500)!
281 Comments >
GIVEAWAY: Enter to Win a Sloan AQUS Grey Water Toilet System That Recycles Your Sink Water (Worth $189)!
- 247 Comments >
240 Comments >
LAST CHANCE: Enter Inhabitat's Back To School Contest to Win $250+ of Green Goodies Including a Voltaic Solar Backpack (Worth $129)
- 229 Comments >
- 221 Comments >
- 203 Comments >
Jill FehrenbacherAvocados are one of the wonderful fruits of summer. High in nutrition and flavor, nothing signals the start of summer like a zesty lime guacamole dip with tortilla chips. The next time you're making guacamole or slicing an avocado for a salad, try savingREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherYou've all heard the tired mantras about changing your lightbulbs and recycling at home in order to save the planet - are you yawning yet? Many consumers think that going green is a gesture of self-sacrifice that often comes at great expense and inconvenienceREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaIt's amazing to think that just a few years ago, many people thought of LEDs as nothing more than the tiny red lights in our laser pointers but my, how the times have changed! With more and more people realizing the energy-efficiency benefits of LED lighting,READ MORE >
Yuka YonedaWINDOWHOP It's easy to get depressed when your work schedule has you getting less sun than Edward Cullen (you've got the sickly pallor to match and it's not nearly as sexy on you). If you're lucky enough to at least have a window in your workspace, openREAD MORE >
Diane PhamCutting back on your energy usage is one of the best ways to bring down your electricity bill. But did you know that making simple changes to not just your wattage consumption but the way your home retains and expels air can dramatically transform the wayREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherDid you know that there are wolves living near you in almost every state in the country? Sadly most of these wolves are not living in the wild, but in wolf sanctuaries, which are conservation organizations set up to protect them and help grow their populationREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaNamba Parks was conceived when Osaka Stadium closed down, presenting a great redevelopment opportunity for a new commercial district right next to the Namba Train Station, which is just one stop away from Kansai Airport. Since it's one of the first placesREAD MORE >
Beth BuczynskiTop image: A child is put to work at a militia-run mine in Watsa. © Marcus Bleasdale/National Geographic Captured during a 2004 visit to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Bleasdale's images "tell the story of the country's mineral resourceREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaBANANAS You might have heard that bananas are favored by athletes because they contain potassium and it's that same reason that makes them great hangover cures. When you're hungover, your body has lost a lot of potassium that needs to be replenished, so eatingREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaImages © Graham King "The shopping cart tree symbolizes both generosity and abundance, as well as acknowledging those less fortunate where their whole world may be housed in a cart. We see shopping carts every day and take them for granted. IndividuallyREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherTIP 1: Wrap Your Home in Insulation - "The More, The Better!" Proper insulation is probably the most important factor you can control in creating an energy-efficient home. I always say insulation is like chocolate, the more you have, the better! On average,READ MORE >
Kestrel JenkinsWhile conjuring up comfort in the home seems like a basic principle, it's a far more complex process for architect & remodeling guru Sarah Susanka, who believes that comfort can significantly influence the sustainability of your personal abode. WithREAD MORE >


text:
Search Templates & Tools
|The Annual Summertime Biz Quiz – Book and Movie Edition! Steve Strauss, founder of www.theselfemployed.com, tests your knowledge of business books and movies.
|How to Use Facebook to Find Potential Employees Republished by permission of FreeEnterprise.com, in agreement with NY Enterprise Report, Jennifer Scott gives tips for networking through social media.
|Your Business, For Better or Worse Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of GrowBiz Media, gives tips for making the most of each stage of the sales cycle in your business.
|The Importance of Motivation Presented by FreeEnterprise.com, Wendy Kaufman looks at the valuable role of motivation in people's work and personal life.
|Bar and Restaurant: Build Customer Relationships Use loyalty programs, good customer service, socially responsible marketing and mobile apps help restaurant and bar owners engage with customers and build lasting relationships.
|Health and Beauty: Easy Ways to Build Customer Relationships Using loyalty programs, providing good customer service, offering socially responsible marketing and creating mobile apps helps you build strong customer relationships.
|Harmonize Your Work & Personal Life SCORE ExpertAnswers Dr. Will Moreland, bestselling author and leadership expert, shares his thoughts on ways to harmonize our interrelated business, personal and emotional lives.
|SCORE Tip of the Week: How to Hire Virtual Employees SCORE's CEO, Kenneth R. Yancey, offers advice for adding virtual employees to your small business team.
|Obamacare Small Business Quick Start Guide Whether you're angry, happy or just plain confused about how "Obamacare" (a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) will impact your business, my best advice is this: Get over it!
|Protect Your Business Against Final Pay Issues The end of employment isn't always the end of your involvement with an employee. If you make any of a number of common mistakes when an employee leaves, or is asked to leave, it could result in liability for your company and, in some instances, liability for you. Final pay, or paying out...


text:
The Midland Valley Christmas parade, originally scheduled to be held Saturday, has been canceled due to expected inclement weather.
A new date for the parade has not been set, according to Toni Marshall, a parade organizer.
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


text:
Town Square
Smoke In the Air
Original post made by Las Trampas, Danville, on Oct 24, 2011
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
The Heart of the Constitution
By Tom Cushing | 5 comments | 357 views
Bidding my Maverick Bye-Bye
By Roz Rogoff | 3 comments | 217 views