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SNOWMASS VILLAGE - Out of 10,000 children's books submitted to publishers, they buy about three," said Johnny Boyd, the author of two children's books through his self-publishing company PTO Press. "Only 5 percent of published books sell more than 5,000 copies."
"We're approaching (selling) 12,000 copies of my first book," Boyd continues. "If we go to a fifth printing I'll have 15,000 in print. One of these days I'm going to get some respect."
It is tough enough to think up and write a book, and it's even tougher to sell a book. Out of the hundreds of thousands of books printed by publishing companies and the even larger group of self-
published books, most sell few copies.
Boyd moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1979 to work on the
Fryingpan-Arkansas water project. A year later he was working seasonally in Snowmass for the town's transportation department, overseeing parking in lot C.
"I don't know why Snowmass," said Boyd. "Somebody must have said check out Snowmass, and I turned right off of Highway 82."
In 1982 he began as a Town of Snowmass Village shuttle driver, and he has been driving for the department ever since.
In 1995, he wrote a letter to the editor of the Snowmass Sun about his idea for making the Snowmass Mall a better place. The editor of the paper offered him a regular column, and Johnny Boyd's Snomasokist was born on Nov. 24, 1995. His second column featured his idea for putting casinos on the Snowmass Mall, and he has been offering his opinions ever since.
"There's a lot of great therapy involved in writing a newspaper column," Boyd said. "I can also go out and get a lot of satisfaction skiing. But there's a lot of satisfaction tweaking the noses of the 'powers that be' just a little bit."
"I used to be harsher, but these days I've mellowed a lot," Boyd continued. "I try not to be personal or nasty. I don't mind giving (the powers that be) a different reality than what they have given me. I am at ground level so I see how the infrastructure works. I see the reality of what they want this place to be."
Snomasokist ran in the Snowmass Sun from 1995 to 1997, and then again from 1999 to 2011. At present, and in the intervening years, Boyd writes the column for the Aspen Daily News.
In 1996, Boyd decided to expand his writing and publish a children's book. He sent out his idea and manuscript to dozens of publishers and was rejected by all of them. Undaunted, he created his own publishing company, PTO Press.
Boyd's first book, "First Tracks," was conceived as a book "for little skiers."
"My niece was about 4 or 5 at the time," Boyd said. "And I wanted to write the book for her. I wanted to get kids excited about skiing. I tried to write as young as I could, through the eyes of a child. I wanted to include the things that are universal about going skiing: the ski instructor, ski patrol, getting pizza, the waitress. I put it all down and hoped that little kids would identify."
Boyd's book has been a huge success compared to most. He sold out his first printing of 3,000 copies in the first
12 months of sale. Now, he is looking at his fifth printing.
"As the years progressed and technology changed, it became possible and affordable to self-publish a book," Boyd explained. "It's not cheap, but it's doable where you can turn a profit."
He acknowledges former Sundance staff member Patricia Logan for the title and offers special appreciation to ski instructor Jeff Teaford for illustrating "First Tracks."
"Pretty much anyone can write a book, but selling it is pretty difficult," Boyd said. "That's one reason why I've gone for a niche market: Skiing, in the first book, and the second one is about vacationing in Yellowstone Park, which is also a universal experience for kids."
Marketing and selling a book means getting out on the road. Boyd traveled 3,500 miles in two weeks through Colorado, New Mexico, up to Idaho, and on to Whistler, British Columbia, then down the West Coast to Mammoth. So far, Boyd has his books in 70 to 80 different retail stores.
"I'm not afraid to cold-call people," Boyd said. "I can stop in, give them a few books, take their card, put them in my database and move on."
Around 2009, Boyd started thinking about another children's book, and "The Yellowstone Kid" was conceived.
"I look at Yellowstone and most little kids are going to stay on that little
figure-eight road," Boyd said. "Because Yellowstone is a universal experience like skiing, I can mention all those sights and it becomes an experience for all those kids."
Boyd and his wife, Cassia, live in Snowmass Village. When he isn't writing or driving a Village Shuttle, he can be found skiing in the winter and mountain biking or motorcycling in the summer.
For more information about PTO Press, "First Tracks" or "The Yellowstone Kid," contact Johnny at email@example.com.
Steve Alldredge is the former associate editor/reporter for the Snowmass Sun. He now runs a local communications company whose clients include Related Colorado. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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Rethink Medicaid decision
Published: Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 4:16 p.m.
State leaders should reconsider their decision for North Carolina to opt out of expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, considering the millions of dollars it will cost Pardee Hospital and other hospitals across the state.
Pardee expects to lose $54 million over 10 years due to federal cuts to Medicaid, which provides health care for low-income families and the disabled. But these would have been offset by expansions to the program under federal health care reform, hospital CEO Jay Kirby said. The General Assembly last week passed legislation prohibiting the state from participating in the expansion of Medicaid to cover more low-income residents.
We expected the federal government to cut that $54 million over 10 years, but we also expected the state as most states would sign on to Medicaid and up whats being covered for uninsured and balance that out, Kirby told the Henderson County Republican Mens Club.
A few weeks ago, we said the state should not rush to foreclose options on Medicaid expansion because of its ramifications for North Carolinas taxpayers, economy and the poor. Add to the list of those potentially harmed Pardee and other hospitals struggling to stay in business in the rapidly changing health care landscape.
On Friday, due to another boneheaded political standoff in Washington, the federal government began making automatic spending cuts under the so-called sequester. If allowed to stand, the cuts will amount to $85 billion from a $3.6 trillion budget through September. Pardee expects to lose $90,000 per month if those cuts are not altered.
The decision to reject Medicaid expansion is potentially much more damaging to the hospital, Kirby says. If the hospital is unable to recoup the $54 million in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, it will have a hard time staying financially afloat.
Last year, the hospitals bottom line was $600,000 on net operating margin, which amounts to .6 percent. Pardee stays afloat largely thanks to $2 million from the hospitals foundation, good stewardship by its board of trustees and returns on investments, Kirby said.
I think not expanding Medicaid just pours gas on the fire of Pardee Hospital, he said.
Of the hospitals $143 million in revenue last year, 70 percent came from Medicare and Medicaid, 23 percent from commercial insurance and 7 percent from uninsured patients.
About 500,000 low-income North Carolinians would qualify for health insurance under Medicaid expansion. Costs to provide health care for these residents are now shifted to hospital emergency rooms and patients with private insurance in the form of higher premiums.
Its a tax that business pays because Medicare and Medicaid arent doing it, Kirby said.
The federal government has pledged to pay all costs for three years and 90 percent thereafter for states that expand Medicaid to cover people up to 138 percent of poverty level. In North Carolina, the expansion would cost the state an estimated $850 million the first six years, but would bring in $16 billion in federal dollars.
Objections to expanding Medicaid center on the idea that the federal government will not live up to its obligations, leaving the states to shoulder the burden. GOP leaders also say the states health department, which manages Medicaid, is broken, inefficient and badly mismanaged and is not ready to take on new recipients. The state should get to work on fixing those problems rather than using them as an excuse to leave a half-million residents without health care coverage.
In recent weeks, Republican governors who opposed Obamacare in Arizona, Ohio, Florida and New Jersey have changed course and decided to accept the federal dollars that come with Medicaid expansion. They realize that opting out will send federal tax dollars paid by their residents to generate jobs and provide health care in states that participate.
We are already paying to care for uninsured residents in the form of higher premiums, to the tune of about $1,000 annually for each North Carolina household with private insurance. Gov. Pat McCrory and GOP leaders should weigh the costs of refusing to participate to the poor, the states economy and hospitals such as Pardee and reconsider their decision.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

subset: commoncrawl


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CORPUS CHRISTI – Islanders Basketball Weekly, the coaches show for Texas A&M – Corpus Christi men's and women's basketball, will be held this evening from 6-7 p.m. and will originate from the Executive Surf Club. The show will also be broadcast live on NewsRadio 1360 AM KKTX.
Islanders Basketball Weekly features interviews with Head Coaches Willis Wilson and Robert Robinson along with player guests from both teams. The show, hosted by the Voice of the Islanders, Steven King, will air on NewsRadio 1360 AM for those who can't make it to the Executive Surf Club for the event.
This week, Robinson and senior Myeisha Myles will review last week's conference games, while previewing this week's final home game against UT Arlington and Saturday's road game at Central Arkansas. Wilson and senior Chris Hawkins-Mast will discuss last week's games against UTSA and Stephen F. Austin, while previewing the team's games this week against UT Arlington and Central Arkansas.
Tickets for all upcoming games are still available by calling 825.BALL or visiting www.GoIslanders.com.
Islanders Basketball Weekly Schedule
Feb. 27, 2012
March 5, 2012


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Germany, 2012, 109 Minute Running Time
Additional Countries: Australia, UK
Genre/Subjects: Drama, Historical/Period, WarLanguage: German English Sub-Titles
NOW PLAYING through April 4th at the Sie FilmCenter
Official Selection of the 35th Starz Denver Film Festival
Digital presentation - Left to fend for themselves after their SS officer father and mother, a staunch Nazi believer, are interned by the victorious Allies at the end of World War II, five German children undertake a harrowing journey that exposes them to the reality and consequences of their parents' actions. Led by the eldest sibling, 14-year-old Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), they set out on a harrowing journey across a devastated country to reach their grandmother in the north. After meeting the charismatic Thomas (Kai Malina, The White Ribbon), a mysterious young refugee, Lore soon finds her world shattered by feelings of both hatred and desire as she must learn to trust the one person she has always been taught to hate in order to survive. Lush cinematography and an evocative, haunting mood infuse this unconventional take on the Holocaust legacy with unforgettable impact.
DIRECTOR: Cate Shortland
Producer: Benny Drechsel, Karsten Stöter, Liz Watts, Paul WelshEditor: Veronika JenetScreenwriter: Robin Mukherjee, Cate ShortlandCinematographer: Adam ArkapawPrincipal Cast: Saskia Rosendahl, Nele Trebs, André Frid, Mika Seidel, Kai MalinaUS Distributor: Music Box Films
Official Film Website
CLICK IMAGE for the Member Newsletter
CLICK IMAGE to submit to the Denver Film Festival. Withoutabox logos are trademarks of Withoutabox, a DBA of IMDb.com Inc. or its affiliates.
CLICK IMAGE to Renew or JoinMembership Updates and Sign Up
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TULSA, Okla. – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Volleyball team was unable to get on track Saturday afternoon, absorbing a 3-0 (25-25-19, 25-20, 25-17) defeat against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles to end a stretch of five consecutive Southland Conference matches on the road. The team will return home to face the Nicholls Colonels on Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (16-9, 8-5 Southland) have now lost two straight matches for just the second time this season after falling at Central Arkansas two nights before. The Golden Eagles (12-13, 8-6 Southland) continue to climb the standings after a slow start to conference play.
Logen Bourque led the team in both assists (21) and digs (11) as Texas A&M – Corpus Christi was unable to get on track offensively. Ivy Baresh led the team in kills with a total of 11, while no other Islanders player reached double digits.
The opening set was close early on, with the two teams playing to an 11-11 tied midway through the period. From there, ORU reeled off three straight points and 7-of-10 to take a commanding lead at 18-13 late in the set. The Islanders closed to within three at 19-16 following a kill by Bourque, but the Golden Eagles would score six of the final nine points for 25-19 final and the early 1-0 lead.
The second set saw ORU race out to a 6-1 lead, but Texas A&M – Corpus Christi clawed its way back into it, closing the gap to just one at 14-13 following a kill by Ashley Phelps and a block assist by Phelps and Brooke Alverson to make it a one-point advantage. The teams traded points to a 17-16 ORU lead before the Islanders surrendered five points in a row to make it a 22-16 lead for the Golden Eagles on the way to a 25-20 final and a 2-0 match lead.
Texas A&M – Corpus Christi took an early lead in the final set behind a kill by Phelps, a block assist by Alverson and Phelps and three straight service aces from Alverson to make it a 5-3 advantage, but ORU followed with four points of their own to go ahead by a 7-5 score. A Baresh kill closed the gap to one point at 8-7, but the Islanders would be unable to get any closer as the Golden Eagles took control of the period on the way to a 25-17 final and a 3-0 match win.
The Islanders will look to get back on track in league play this coming week with matches against Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana at the Dugan Wellness Center. Nicholls comes to town on Thursday, Nov. 1 for a 7 p.m. match, while SELA heads to Corpus Christi for a Saturday, Nov. 3 contest at 1 p.m. against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
For all the latest on Islanders Volleyball, like the team on Facebook (IslandersVolleyball), follow them on Twitter (@IslandersVB) and visit www.GoIslanders.com.


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Emeritus at Marietta is celebrating National Nutrition Month by helping to serve 10,000 meals in 60 days to senior citizens in need.
The goal of 10,000 meals is a joint effort between all of the 470 Emeritus communities throughout 44 states.
Seniors having meals delivered are nominated by others to Emeritus.
Article Photos
CHRISTIAN HUDSPETH The Marietta Times
Norma Tait, an employee of Emeritus at Marietta, serves resident Georgia Wyckoff the meal of the day Monday afternoon. Emeritus at Marietta is currently trying to serve 10,000 meals to seniors in need from March 1 to April 30.
"This is the first year that our organization will be doing this," said Mindy Geese, community relations director of the Emeritus at Marietta assisted living facility. "This is something that is important to our organization and we figured what better time to do this."
The number of older adults living on their own across the nation who are malnourished is in the hundreds of thousands, according to the National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Aging.
Seniors who are malnourished face the possibility of symptoms that include a weakened immune system, weight loss, less energy and are hospitalized more frequently than those with a proper diet.
Fact Box
At a glance
Emeritus is attempting to feed 10,000 meals in 60 days to seniors in need.
The event is in conjunction with National Nutrition Month and all 470 Emeritus locations are participating.
It began March 1 and will continue until April 30.
Seniors outside of Emeritus locations count toward the goal of 10,000.
Food choices range from the meal of the day to an a la carte style menu (burgers, eggs cooked anyway, soup).
In order to qualify seniors must only have a need for meals or proper nutrition.
Anyone who knows of a senior in need is encouraged to call 373-9600.
Seniors who are at most risk for nutritional deficiencies generally have a fixed income or are physically unable to prepare their own food.
Geese said the 10,000 meals program falls in line with Emeritus's Safely Somewhere program.
"The program aims to keep all seniors cared for in a safe environment," she said. "Regardless of if they live with us, in a nursing home or live at home they deserve to be safe."
The only stipulation is that the recipient is 65 or older, there are no income based requirements to be eligible for a meal.
These types of services are provided all year by Emeritus, but this is just an opportunity to do even more, according to Geese.
"We visit seniors to spend time and talk with them, take them food, check in to make sure they are doing OK," she said. "We aren't trying to market ourselves. We just want to make sure that our seniors are being taken care of and nutrition month is a good time to highlight that."
Seniors who count toward the meal total include any who are fed outside of an Emeritus location, according to Geese.
The menu that is available for seniors to choose from is restaurant style and offers several choices.
"We have a special of the day that is a complete meal like a chicken or roast beef with the appropriate accompaniments," said Lynne George, dining services director at Emeritus at Marietta. "We also have an a la carte menu that they may order off of in case they don't like the special."
Items on the a la carte menu include a wide range of seasonal foods, some of which include burgers, soups and salads.
"We want them to have a good healthy meal, but we also want it to look and taste good so they will eat it," said George.
Georgia Wyckoff has been a resident of Emeritus at Marietta for 15 months and said she thinks they do a wonderful job of providing nutritious foods.
"I have been very pleased with the food. I've remained a constant weight since I've been here," she said. "There has been a very good variety in what I've had to eat and I almost always enjoy it."
Since the program kicked off at the beginning of March, Geese said Emeritus has served some seniors but not as many as she had hoped.
"We know there is a great need for this in the community," said Geese. "We hope that moving forward more will be able to take advantage of this opportunity."
The total number of seniors served for all of the locations would take a few days to calculate, because there are so many sites to collaborate with, according to Mary Beth Dagg, the public relations manager for the Emeritus corporate office in Seattle.
Geese said that anyone who knows of a senior who is having trouble getting meals or with their nutrition should let them know.
"All you have to do is call us and say you want to nominate a senior and we will take it from there," she said.
Anyone with information regarding seniors who require this service are encouraged to contact Emeritus at Marietta at (740) 373-9600.


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Welcome to KDHX. Broadcasting live from Grand Center in St Louis on 88.1 FM and around the world at KDHX.org.
A St. Louis Wilco show is always a special affair. Though based in Chicago, the band's
In a perfect world, the Rival Sons would already be an instantly recognizable name among rock music
A hot, humid weekend and complete shutdown of I-44 did little to dampen the spirits of nearly
In six months, KDHX DJs turn their ears to more new music than other stations do in decades. While
Anarchist and leftist punks have long sought to raise awareness about various forms of oppression
All hail the drone! Brian scans the universe for psychedelia and experimental sounds to knock your world off its axis.Show Archives
Wrong Division features the best in progressive punk and experimental DIY rock, including everything from methodical, melodic post rock to erratic, noisy math. Join your host Joe and co-host Mabel as they showcase local to international bands and the music that influenced them. Learn more at the Wrong Division Blog.Show Archives
From classic to modern, Rolling Thunder brings you a diverse mix of rock styles, including psychedelic, progressive, and even a bit of metal. Ryan Cain spins all of that and more, adding in some blues and jazz for good measure.Show Archives
Get your weekend started with Night Grooves. Orlandez features the deepest, coolest tracks of Soul, Jazz & Indie from the 70's up to the current.Show Archives
Down Yonder is a celebration of bluegrass and old-time music in all its forms, from the classic high lonesome sound of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, to the modern sounds of contemporary artists. As the title of a Monroe instrumental tells us, "You must come hither to go yonder."Show Archives
DJ Carlos G. Charles is your host on "Latin Hemispheres," an exploration on the many facets of Latin music, including contemporary dance and club beats, rock & roll, some traditional rhythms, jazz, tropical tunes, hip hop, roots music, romantic songs and even pop. From time to time a theme show will take you for a ride and change things up as Carlos delivers it all with that Latin touch. Gracias por su sintonia y mantengen se con ese ritmo latino..... Ha ya yay, que sabroso. Todos los Domingos, that's every Sunday 1-3 am.Show Archives
Bruce B. with deep blues, classic soul and hot R&B, alternating with Tony C and a mix of blues, soul, R&B, jazz and doo-wop. Tune in every Sunday evening for blues you can only get at the "Chicken Shack."
Show Archives


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Three email accounts of high-ranking officials at the Aspen Institute have been hacked by the Chinese. This can only mean one thing: The Russians are coming!
I know they are taking this very seriously, but I'm not super-power worried. I figure anything anyone wants to know about that organization can be found out by purchasing a weeklong pass for the Aspen Ideas Festival. This is an organization that was made to spill the beans.
It's a think tank. Their purpose is to get famous people to speak in front of an auditorium full of ordinary folks who bought high-priced tickets in order to learn something they haven't already seen on YouTube. If it's not available in cyberspace, it's marketable. If it's marketable, the tank is going to think about presenting it. It follows that the biggest secret a hacker might obtain from a group like the Aspen Institute is the location of this year's company picnic. (My guess is the Aspen Mountain Club.)
If the Aspen Institute actually possessed information pertinent to national security, I would be afraid, very afraid. For starters, that would most likely mean that somebody close to the government with a super-high security clearance divulged classified information to somebody at the Institute.
You can imagine how this might happen. Some uppity-up has been stewing for six months because he was snubbed from appearing in last year's Ideas Festival. Not this year! He's determined to be the marquee speaker. The way he ensures this is by sending Walter Isaacson an email detailing the U.S. Treasury's covert plan to put this country back on the gold standard without anyone noticing. It starts by secretly starting to mint pennies out of copper-colored silver on May 12 of this year. Don't tell anyone ... until the last day of the Ideas Festival.
Hacking into Isaacson's email account to discover this saves the Chinese from having to find a reasonably priced airline ticket into Aspen in July and the embarrassment of having to stay in a Glenwood hotel and drive Highway 82 to and from the festival every day due to the extremely high cost of travel here because they overengineered Yuan exchange rates.
The whole thing sounds a little like
vanity bloat to me: They're full of themselves. When the Institute disclosed this alleged breach of its firewall, it absolutely could not refrain from comparing itself to the likes of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Apple and Facebook, all of which had their email accounts hacked before the Chinese got around to the Institute after hours when the child-labor force reported for the late shift at the hack-shop.
It might be a trend. Now that everyone has a smart phone, we have to invent a new way to tell who doesn't amount to squat. "You mean to tell me that you haven't been hacked by the Chinese?! We've been hacked 12 times already." Coming to a cocktail party near you.
I don't mean to make light of this. I understand that cyberterrorism is the most real threat to destroy the world before global warming and giant asteroids do. If you
possess the blueprints for creating a Death Star out of ordinary household items on your C-drive or have downloaded the app for launching the nuclear warhead in the silo underneath your vegetable garden on an iPod converted for such purpose with plans ordered from an ad in the back of Popular Mechanics, I hope you are taking all necessary precautions to keep access to these things away from the enemy, including backing up the boot disks on a memory stick that you keep in your sock drawer next to the passports (you might as well check the expiration dates while you're there).
It all makes me wonder, though, could the Chinese have known that Bill Clinton was having an affair with his intern before we did? What could have been the consequences of them learning that Al Gore invented the Internet before it became common knowledge? We actually have no idea whether or not these things were siphoned off an Institute email account.
I have to applaud Isaacson for coming clean immediately after the Chinese hack job was disclosed. He flat-out said that there was never anything of a confidential nature in his email inbox. I believe him. And, if there was nothing confidential in the Big Cheese's inbox, there sure as hell better not have been any in anyone else's.
Now, here come the Russians!
Roger Marolt can be breached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: I love the Creepshow series, with my favorite short from them being in "Creepshow 2" The Raft features four college kids who decide to take an autumn swim at a secluded lake and are then terrorized by a hungry oil slick. They are trapped on a raft in the middle of the lake and unable to get away from the sludge like substance that's taking them out one by one. One of the things I really like about this movie is that there is no backstory regarding what the oil slick is or how it got there. I also love the ending.


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Birdman: 2012 Season Edit
We got excited when we saw Birdman had put out a season edit, but quickly realized it was not Lil Wayne's adoptive father, or our red headed co-worker. It turned out to be this kid Graham Mear, and even though he wasn't one of the two aforementioned characters... he happened to be a pretty good snowboarder. We placed this edit on our Facebook to let you decide if you thought it deserved a spot on our site. And with an overwhelming positive response here it is... Birdman's 2012 season edit.Read More


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Jack Wagner is at 7-to-1 odds to win the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course this weekend, putting him fifth on the list, even though he is the defending - and two-time - champion of the ACC. Former Major League Baseball player and eight-time ACC winner Rick Rhoden saw that as a positive.
"It's better if you want to make a bet on yourself," Rhoden said.
Between his win last year and the start of this year's tournament, Wagner cut a few rugs on NBC's "Dancing with the Stars." But it was only a few, as the former "Melrose Place" actor was voted off from the show early in the season. The actor said his time practicing in the dance studio did not cut into his practice time on the golf course.
"I wish it was accurate," Wagner said. "But unfortunately I was (booted) off way too early. So needless to say, I've had more time than I wanted to practice because I was counting on giving Donald Driver a run for his money."
Wagner said he actually takes six or seven months off from the course during the year, ramping it up a couple months before coming to Tahoe. His goal: play well enough to have the trophy in sight on the last day.
"I think of all us would probably attest to the fact that you want to play well enough to be in the hunt on the last day," Wagner said. "You want to be in the final, at least, two or three groups, if not the last group, because that's really, this is our main golf tournament of the year. So however you prepare, you kind of just hope to play well enough and putt well enough to be in the hunt on Sunday, because that's really what's so much fun for all of us."
Even though Wagner's odds to win aren't the best, Steve Schorr, Harrah's full service games manager, said, "One thing I'd like to say about Jack is, looking at all the odds, if there's one person that, if I was on the outside and I was going to bet, it would be Jack Wagner. And at 7-to-1 there's value there."


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Mondobiotech in merger negotiations with Pierrel
Stans – Mondobiotech, a drug discovery company in troubled waters, could soon be under Italian ownership: The Swiss biotech announced it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Milan-based provider of pharmaceutical and life science industries, Pierrel SpA, with regard to a potential combination of the Contract Research Organization (CRO) of Pierrel with Mondobiotech. According to a non-binding letter of intent signed by the parties, the business combination should be structured by way of a contribution in kind of 100% of the share capital of Pierrel Research International AG (the CRO holding company), fully owned by Pierrel into the capital of Mondobiotech, through a dedicated capital increase of the latter. The news led initially to a Mondobiotech share price rally at the SIX Swiss Exchange to a plus of 88 % (at 0.75 CHF) before falling back to 0.40 CHF. Last December, Mondobiotech announced that, due to the current financial market conditions and the lack of significant progress with currently available options, it would be implementing restructuring measures. Together with other fluctuations, this would include a reduction of more than 50% of the firm's total workforce by the end of February 2012. Activities will be concentrated in the company's Stans headquarters.


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Guide Editor Ann Pinson takes you through the top happenings, including the start of "Animal Inside Out, A Body Worlds Production" at the Perot , a new place for kids to learn and more.
Video: Guide's Top 5 things to do this weekend in Dallas
editor picks
Nailing down the Horseshoe
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Welcome to
Shula's hotel & golf club
Simply Great Service.
The newly renovated Shula's Hotel and Miami golf resort is a one of a kind property offering full service amenities in a contemporary setting and is proud to be one of the last independently owned resort properties in Miami, Florida. Our focus at Shula's is to provide simply great service while our property becomes your home away from home. Our numerous vacation packages give you the opportunity to take full advantage of everything Shula's has to offer. Centrally located in Miami Lakes, Florida, the new contemporary design welcomes guests with elegant clean lines that are accented with pops of dramatic color, keeping the spirit of South Florida alive.
A preferred Hotel of the Miami Dolphins, enjoy easy access to all of your favorite Miami attractions such as Sun Life Stadium or stay within the Miami Lakes area and enjoy everything Shula's has to offer. The Spa at Shula's is a full service spa that offers a number of customized rituals designed to awaken the senses. The Senator Course, located at Shula's Golf Club, offers 18 holes on the beautiful and natural Florida landscaping. Finish your day on the course with an exquisite dining experience at Shula's Steakhouse, The Original, the resort's fine dining restaurant. Shula's Hotel also offers a state of the art Athletic Club with complimentary access to all hotel guests. This 44,000 square foot club, renovated in 2012, provides a full weight room, lighted tennis courts, and a 60 yard field for team style events or practices.
Upon entering the hotel, guests will relive the history of the Miami Dolphins, their famous coach for which the property is named, as well as the history of the Graham family and their contributions to the town of Miami Lakes. Experience the new Shula's Hotel and all that Miami Lakes has to offer. This one of a kind property continues to grow and evolve into a local landmark, known for its simply great service.


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Hear and Be Heard
With their words, leaders take charge, issue commands, and inspire. Who hasn't been roused by a great speech or been inspired to join in when someone lays out an articulate, convincing case for action?
"The image of a leader that often comes to mind is someone who is expressive and charismatic and has presence," says Professor Joel Brockner, whose research focuses on managerial decision making and organizational change.
"Speaking up is part of leadership, but we also think the receptive side of leadership has gotten short shrift," adds Professor Daniel Ames, whose own research examines, in part, judgment and behavior in organizational settings. Ames and Brockner, along with doctoral student Lily Benjamin Maissen (now a PhD), recently took a closer look at what they view as an important complement to the expressive aspects of how leaders are influential.
The researchers gathered hundreds of reports from former colleagues of MBA students in the core leadership course. The researchers first asked the colleagues, who had worked with the students for years, to assess their former coworker's skills and habits. The survey included questions measuring how influential the students were, such as whether they were able to persuade others, direct meetings, and turn conversations in their favor. The survey also asked the former colleagues to evaluate the students on expressive communication: were they able to make points effectively and communicate openly and use vivid images when making arguments? Finally, the survey asked how skilled the students were as listeners. Were they able to take in criticism? Did they encourage people to open up and share information? Did they build on what they heard in conversations?
The researchers then analyzed what factors from the survey responses predicted whether coworkers reported students as being influential. "We found over and over that above being charismatic or expressing things well, people who listened well are particularly influential," Brockner says of the results. "And the particularly interesting part is that the whole of being influential is greater than the sum of the individual parts: expressing yourself well in combination with listening well makes you more influential than would be expected by simply adding these two skills together." They also found that verbal expression and listening are positively correlated: better listeners were better at expressing themselves and better talkers were better listeners.
Why is listening so important? "Good listeners, as we know from a lot of research, learn from others," Brockner says. "There is an informational basis for this. For example, as a manager, if I listen, I learn what makes you motivated, thereby putting me in a better position to motivate or influence you. There's also a relational basis. When people feel 'listened to' they feel more trusting and form stronger bonds. With that, they are more willing to go along with what you ask."
Whereas the evidence in this study comes from MBA students, both researchers work with hundreds of executives a year, including in the School's Executive Education programs, where they see the same pattern of results. "We repeatedly find that listening is a crucial part of being effective and influential as a leader. And we also often find that people don't know how they come across as listeners," Ames says. He acknowledges that there are no real secrets to being a better listener, but there are some behaviors that can take effort to change. Ames and Brockner offer a few suggestions for influential listening:
Don't follow your instincts — at least not always. "Listening is sometimes most valuable when it clashes with your instincts and impulses," Ames says. "In a conflict, when someone is disagreeing with you and you really don't want to hear them out, that is exactly when listening is most useful."
Capture your own attention. Listening is difficult in part because we have a lot of brain capacity, Ames says. "We can process language at 300 to 500 words per minute. But most people speak around 100 words per minute. So we have extra capacity that makes it challenging to manage our attention — instead we look at the person walking across a room or consider an idea bubbling up in our minds." One way to manage your own attention is to put that extra capacity to work by making more effort to draw out your counterpart through questions or to organize in your own mind the points they are making.
Stop interrupting — For just one week, every time you want cut off another person and forge ahead with your own point, wait. Instead, ask a question. Ames says, "It is a way to reflect on your habits and to get more out of others by understanding their points more completely."
— but don't be quiet. "The gold standard of good listening is not measured by how quiet you are," Brockner says. "It's about doing things to let the other person know that you are seriously considering what he has to say." Elicit information, ask questions, make direct eye contact, and whatever you do, don't engage in other activities while you claim to be listening.
Implement. The real litmus test is what you do after the conversation, Brockner says. "The most persuasive thing a manager can do is to implement what people are saying. The rule should be that as long as others' recommendation is not worse than what you as a manager would do — you should not hold your staff to a higher standard than you hold yourself — then act on their suggestion. Otherwise you're losing an opportunity to show that you are good listener and to build relationships and trust." And if the idea is worse? "You still need to come back with a reasonable explanation in a way that lets the recipient know his views were seriously considered."
In the end, the researchers say, there is no horserace between being a talkative leader and a listening leader. Instead, it's the interaction between being a good communicator and a good listener that is at the heart of their findings. "If you get one right and the other wrong, you are not going to be maximally influential," Ames says. "Persuading and leading effectively often means balancing expression and receptivity, holding forth, and also letting others feel heard."
Daniel Ames is professor of management and coordinator of the Decision Making and Negotiations Cross-Disciplinary Area at Columbia Business School.
Joel Brockner is the Phillip Hettleman Professor of Business in the Management Division at Columbia Business School.
Daniel Ames
Professor Ames's research focuses on social judgment and behavior. He examines how people judge themselves as well as the individuals and groups around them (e.g., impression formation, stereotyping). He also studies the consequences of these judgments on interpersonal dynamics, including prosocial behaviors (e.g., trust, cooperation, helping) and competitive interactions (e.g., negotiations, conflict, aggression). A central aspect of this...
Joel Brockner
Within the broader field of organizational behavior, Professor Brockner is well known for his work in several areas, including the effects of organizational downsizing on the productivity and morale of the "survivors," the management of organizational change, organizational justice, self processes in organizations and managerial judgment and decision making. He teaches the MBA elective course Managerial Decision Making, the Ph.D. course...
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Daniel Ames, Joel Brockner, Lily Benjamin
"Listening and interpersonal influence"