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Just why are we so bad at languages in the UK?(226 Posts)
Ds2 in in y5 and has done Spanish on and off for nearly 3 years. He can count to 10, say hello and goodbye and sing a few songs. DS1 ys yr7 he did the same at Primary, but is now learning French and German.
We were on an activity holiday at Easter and met a really lovely German family. After dinner, our DCs ran back to the accommodation for the TV by the time we caught them up, they were playing Scrabble, with the German family, in English!
Their boys were 8 & 10 and both could communicate well in English at the start of the week. By the end of the week, I'd say they were both fluent.
I don't think my boys would even have tried hello/goodbye willingly.
Oh thank you ZZZenagain. That's so encouraging for me! I was beginning to think it was only me who saw value in that approach, and that I needed to stick to traditional topics. They are such joyful little characters. I will make more!
my dd loves your spaniels and their little stories agreenmouse. We have quite taken to Maggie and Billy.
I am not sure how much you learn just by speaking. I often think this in classes where we talk to each other in broken Spanish and I wonder just how worthwhile it is. I would prefer to do a lot more listening and see and hear more extracts of films and dialogues and then be told key words or phrases to listen out for. I think the speaking would then follow on.
Who doesn't find it difficult to remember the names of characters in a book when you don't know how to pronounce them ....
It is the same with learning a language.
I am trying to help dcs for free. I'm a partner on TES and a blogger here. Look me up if you are interested - A Green Mouse
cote I teach TEFL. And, no, the kids I teach can't read and write yet, so that's not an option anyway, but my teaching method has always been based on the premise that speaking a word makes you much more likely to retain it than writing it down. I used to teach a group of OAPs, though, and they were very resistent to this - wanted me to teach English as if it were maths, with right and wrong answers all the time.
Ah, yes, I can imagine that to be very true. My fluency in English used to deteriorate when I went for several weeks without speaking it, but I can't imagine not being able to understand it even if I went for 10 years without speaking it!
cheasepicks - Which language do you teach? And do you really get your students to write each new word in their notebooks with its English translation?
chespicks no I didn't mean you can (or should) learn a language passively. What I meant is that without practice, the speaking part goes first. The listening part I seem to be able to retain. I don't listen to the language often, and it's about 10 years since I could hold a conversation comfortably in it. Maybe give it another 10 years I would have forgotton my listening skill too? I believe at this point of 'forgetting' I could still regain my proficiency without going to formal lessons.
I think another problem you pointed out might be the confidence bit? If you believe you can speak a language, you are more likely to try it on native speakers?
It is an uncomfortable truth but as English speakers we really do not need foreign languages as much as other countries do. We can get by without them. I am married to a Turkish man who speaks English and German fluently. Why? because if he was going to get a decent career he had to.
Having said that I think it is fantastic and enviable to be passable or fluent in another language.
Sorry, toddleterror having reread your posts you didn't say quite what I'd remembered reading . Do you think that learning a language passively to a very high standard makes spoken fluency guaranteed within a short period of immersion? It's a very interesting idea, particulalrly since my language teaching is all based around the assumption that a student has a much higher likelihood of remembering a new word if they have spoken it in the lesson, rather than writing it down with its translation.
ToddleTerror yes, MIL has probably been more proficient in Spanish in the past while she was actively trying to learn it. With English I'm less sure, as she is exposed to it much more since a Brit married into her family than she was in the past. I was trying to say that my experience tends to back up Lrd's point about differing interpretations of fluency. As a Brit I would never claim I could speak Japanese, although I used to be able to carry on a conversation on
the subject of food a limited range of topics in it. Without entirely being capable of judging MIL's Spanish, I would guess it is, or has been, a similar level to the level I reached in Japanese, but for MIL and her family that is sufficient to claim "I can speak four languages".
I agree whole-heartedly with the point that listening and speaking should come first. I remember chatting to an exchange partner while doing A level French and feeling it was very odd that she seemed to understand my ramblings! It seems quite shocking to me now that after 6+ years of learning French I hadn't realised that the point of it was to be able to communicate my thoughts in a conversation with a native speaker of that language.
I guess what I want to say is that listen comes before speak. If you have good comprehension, then it would only take practice or immersion to bring back the spoken fluency.
cheaspicks your MIL might be just rusty in those languages. It's fairly hard to define fluency. I can follow a conversation of spoken mandarin chinese, both overhearing native speakers conversation or on the tv. (I aced that test posted on the BBC a while before which supposedly is used for testing agent's language). Like your MIL, I would really struggle to express myself in it. However, I am very very confident that if I have to live in China or Taiwan, I can be fluent quickly. I would put in my CV I can speak mandarin if it's needed for a job in the UK.
Good points made about what people define as fluency. I remember reading somewhere ages ago about how to describe language skills on a CV and it said "basic knowledge" would be if you had done an A level in the language, you could claim "a working knowledge" if you had studied it at university, and "fluency" meant you were at near-native speaker standard.
MIL on the other hand is regarded by the family as being able to speak four languages: German, English, Russian and Spanish. She can certainly communicate fine with my parents in English, but she will still translate obvious idiomatic phrases into English word for word and makes fairly basic grammatical errors. When I've heard her trying to speak Spanish it's obvious even without being able to speak Spanish myself that she is struggling to express herself. (Not a criticism of MIL btw, just using her as an example.)
TheBigJessie Thanks for your post I still think it'll be easier to learn in a 1-2-1 or very small group situation, for me, because it'll help to keep background noise down.
I do want to learn a language, German I guess, and it is on the wish list. I'll check the library as you suggest, and maybe see if I can look at DD's german school work.
Ah, but Heidi wouldn't have been Heidi without the terrible dubbing
The dubbing here (Moldova) is awful because they do it over the original soundtrack. So the person starts speaking in English (usually) and then there's a tiny delay and the dubbed voice comes on.
It's slightly better than it used to be, when one guy would do the whole thing and give a commentary on what was happening too!
Yes. Dubbed programmes are very hard to follow because you don't even have a perfect match between the speech and the timing.
I notice here in Belgium, that French tv tends to dub foreign programmes whereas Dutch tv does subtitles. It does make a difference.
Absolutely LaV. I think commercial resources here can be very bad, too. My MIL is trying to learn English in her country, and her resources are all good, with perfectly sensible grammar and examples, and CDs with normal accents. I've bought two different sets of language-learning CDs about both have basic grammatical errors and the languages are spoken by people whose accents are a mix of non-native speakers or people with unusual accents, which does not help!
I think, unfortunately, we are not expected to know any better.
I think that's the key LRD - the Dutch, at least, seem to know how to progress beyond the GCSE level, whereas those of us who get to that level tend to plateau.
Again it's partly to do with having to - you can't get very far outside NL, Flanders, South Africa (maybe) with only Dutch. Germans can get by without knowing other languages and quite a number do, and it used to be the lingua franca of Central Europe until quite recently.
My DH has approached language learning (we moved abroad 5 years ago) as an academic exercise. His grammar and vocab are way better than mine but he gets frustrated that his accent etc don't match up to his knowledge.
Whereas I have done
no very little actual study and just relied on picking it up and although my grammar is a bit all over the place I can communicate almost as well as he can. I am quite musical and think that this has helped in picking up the intonation and making me sound reasonably fluent even if I'm not really.
Eg., I know that if I hear an elderly English academic say diffidently 'well, of course, my French is very basic', he or she probably means, 'my French is quite adequate to read fluently but I have a slight accent'. If I hear a young Dutch or German academic say 'well, my English is very good', it means, they are able to get by but their grammar is probably full of mistakes and their written English will be error-prone.
I dunno, volcan. I wouldn't myself say GCSE passes made me capable in the language, but I know German and Dutch people who would confidently claim that they could get by at that level, purely because they would know how to progress rapidly after that and haven't been conditioned to feel that anything except fluency is unacceptable.
So, yes, at GCSE it is just another academic subject, and a bright person will manage to do well if reasonably well taught.
But few of us would claim that a GCSE/O level pass is the same as knowing a language properly, i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening.
I say this as one with French and German O levels, and an AS level in Spanish. To be fair my reading knowledge is reasonable, especially in Spanish, but I certainly can't watch a film in Spanish without the subtitles. I think if I went somewhere out of the tourist areas/major cities and immersed myself in Spanish for six months I might become reasonably fluent.
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Pay no attention to the movies.
My thoughts:
- Lasers are excellent for practice of good trigger control
- Lasers are probably useful only if you cannot get a typical eye-to-sights picture (i.e. shooting from under furniture or a blockade of sorts where the sights cannot be aligned with the eye)
- I don't think most average shooters, in a home invasion scenario, will have the cool to actually make sure his laser dot is pointed where it should be
- Lasers can and will give away your position
- Lasers rely on batteries to operate. Iron sights or night sights work without batteries.
- If someone is far enough way from you to doubt your accuracy with a pistol, then you either need a rifle, shotgun or they may be far enough away that they are not an immediate threat.

subset: commoncrawl


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Former baseball union head Miller dead at 95
Marvin Miller, the union leader who created free agency for baseball players and revolutionized professional sports with multimillion dollar contracts, died Tuesday. He was 95.
Miller died at his home in Manhattan at 5:30 a.m., said his daughter Susan Miller. He had been diagnosed with liver cancer in August.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Originally Posted by shakus maximus
frens i to am like carlson. if kid cant afford then kid dont pay.
i only wish my jiu jitsu was like carlson. lol
The fact that Shakey does this, as Carlson did many years ago, speaks volumes about the man. It is one of the many reasons I am proud that Tillery Combat BJJ Team is affiliiated to me.
Forum Rules


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Justwhistledixie Back In Florida For Sabin
West Point Thoroughbreds and partners' Justwhistledixie, the leading 3-year-old filly to emerge at Gulfstream Park last winter, returns to South Florida for the Sabin Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 27
West Point Thoroughbreds and partners' Justwhistledixie, the leading 3-year-old filly to emerge at Gulfstream Park last winter, returns to South Florida for the Sabin Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 27
Lady Shakespeare and Long Approach are among the most accomplished turf stakes performers and the likely favorites in a full field of 12 entered in the $125,000 Suwannee River Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 6 at Gulfstream.
On paper, it seems as though multiple graded stakes winner Acoma is moving in the wrong direction. The 4-year-old daughter of Empire Maker has been way off her game in her last two starts, finishing sixth and ninth, respectively, in the July 19 Delaware Handicap (gr. II) and Oct. 10 First Lady (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
Darley Stable's homebred Criticism took advantage of soft early fractions en route to a wire-to-wire one-length victory in the $150,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIT) April 25 on the Calder Race Course turf.
Criticism, winner of two grade III stakes in her four American starts, is the 121-pound highweight in the $150,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIT), the first of two turf stakes events on the opening Saturday of the spring/summer meet at Calder Race Course April 25.
Lady Carlock, charging from off the pace for jockey Jermaine Bridgmohan, overtook Mushka in the final strides to record her first stakes victory by a head in the $125,000 Suwannee River (gr. IIIT) on the Gulfstream Park turf Feb. 1.
Callwood Dancer, Canada's Sovereign Award champion turf mare in 2008, takes on nine rivals in the $125,000 Suwannee River Stakes (gr. IIIT) over the Gulfstream Park turf Feb. 1.
Jason and Tom analyze the Cardinal Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs on November 15. Also Brisnet's handicapping expert "The Wizard" joins the team with his "Spotlight Play".
|Jonathan E. Sheppard
|Julien R. Leparoux
|Augustin Stable
|George Strawbridge Jr.
|Long Approach View Five-Cross Pedigree
|Broad Brush
|Ack Ack
|Hay Patcher
|Last Approach
|Far Out East
|Fast Approach
|Sale / Hip
Hip 1119
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|Mill Ridge Sales, agent
|Spooky Woods
|Mill Road
|Unspoiled Moments
|Classic Empire
|Lady Aurelia
|Always Dreaming
|Gun Runner


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Some Iraq troops may be withdrawn
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AUSTRALIA might be able to withdraw some troops from Iraq's al-Muthanna province by May, according to Defence Minister Robert Hill.
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That decision would be made later this year and would take account of the preparedness of the Iraqis and the security situation, Senator Hill said.
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Senator Hill said he expected the Japanese Government to make a decision on extending its deployment beyond December. After that, a decision would be made on whether the Iraqi security forces could take over protecting the Japanese.
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As the new century dawns, curricular and popular interest is increasingly focused on understanding the historical events and forces that have driven the vast changes in the twentieth century. And the period between the two world wars, one replete with artistic inspiration, economic enterprise, intellectual commentary and analysis, and political wrangling, witnessed much of this change.
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Yotam Ottolenghi recipes Yotam Ottolenghi's post-Christmas bakes to use up leftover cheese and fruit – recipesA bit of home baking will help use up that stilton, cheddar and parmesan mountain, plus bowls of dates and apples
You have enough turkey and mashed potatoes to feast for days but crave some variety. We've got you covered
A soup made from Christmas leftovers can be simple, or spicy, or creamy; light or bulked out with grains, noodles or potatoes; made meatier with ham or more virtuous with sprouts … Vicky Frost shares her favourite version
Don't let those sprigs go soggy or dry up. Mint can freshen up many ingredients from broad beans to a courgette and feta salad
Tropical fruit salad is a good starting point, but this exotic fruit can be used in much more, from spicy stir fries to retro cream tarts
Vegan barbecue treats to soups or stews, our Dinner Doctor has some scrumptious ideas to savour your saved sweetcorn
Got too many berries going soggy? Mango salsa, meringues or using halloumi, the Dinner Doctor does a delicious rescue act
Carrots mouldering away in the foot of your fridge? Stuck for ideas for how to cook them? Our Dinner Doctor has the answers
We throw away 290,000 tonnes of milk a year - from soups to puddings, why not use it in a delicious recipe before it goes off?
Flat drinks? Don't throw them out – from pulled pork to Korean-style beef and slushies, our Dinner Doctor is bubbling with ideas
Stale bread and crusts might not seem like the most versatile of foods, but you'd be surprised! Our Dinner Doctor Rachel Kelly shows you how to turn crumbs into cuisine
Don't bin those bangers! Dinner Doctor Rachel Kelly shares some delicious meal ideas for leftover sausages
From curries, to soups, to meatballs. Tour the world with the Dinner Doctor's round-up of the best recipes for your wilting herbs
Leftover mashed potato? Our Dinner Doctor has 21 delicious ways of using it up
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipes The remains of the day: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Christmas leftovers recipes
The inevitable odds and ends after the big feast are one of the main pleasures of the Christmas kitchen
What clever tricks do you have up your sleeve for Christmas leftovers - a twist on the turkey curry, something with cold sprouts, and what about those stale mince pies?
How to cook the perfect ... The perfect Christmas leftovers recipes: Christmas pudding trifle - video
Felicity demonstrates how to make the most of leftover Christmas pudding in a delicious, alternative version of the classic festive trifle
A trifle made with leftover Christmas pudding - what dessert could possibly be more festive?
Our modern obsession with beautiful food – and reliance on ready meals when short of time – has led to huge waste. Is it time to put leftovers back on the table?
Nigel Slater's latest experiment is a happy marriage of bitter shards of chocolate and leftover orange preserve: a wonderfully textured soft-scoop ice cream tinged with a citrus tang
Leftovers is too humble a term for that bowl of cooked rice just begging to be made into crispy treats or ice cream
Don't chuck that hunk of days-old loaf in the bottom of the bread bin. It's a vital ingredient in some of the world's great dishes
Tasty ways to use up the remnants of of your festive lunch – a Thai turkey salad, Christmas pudding ice-cream and bubble and squeak
What do you do with the half a roast bird you don't get through on the big day? And how do you use up the leftover mincemeat? Claude Bosi has an idea or two up his sleeve
Ever stuck for something delicious to make using leftover egg whites? Your search is at an end


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Hello All!
So I had rescued an 8 week old pup around 5 weeks old. She is now 8 weeks and health. Lived through parvo and everything.
Anyway she has a few behavior issues. I know puppies play bit so its not that. When she eats, she gets scared and shakes. When I first started feeding her she would growl if I touch her. Now shes fine with being touched and having my hand in the bowl. She still shakes and brings her tail in. She also eats as fast as she can, even with eating 4-5 times a day. I put a link to a youtube video of her eating. I had feed her some kibble first before I give her the whole bowl to show her dominance and not to be aggressive.
Another issue is with being picked you every now and then. She either growls to get people away, or if you pick her up she goes in to defense mode and shows teeth while trying her hardest to bite who ever is holding her. If you let her go she runs away, which is just my wife. The only way that seems to work for me is to pick her up from her scruff and growl and say no. She then stops and I put her down, then she runs to her crate. Shes starting to stop when I make eye contact and "shh" her. When it gets really bad I pin her on her side and growl till she stops and say no. She then sits there and doesnt move. I then walk away and she follows me till I stop, and stops and looks at me like as if we were walking.
Im hope that after she gets her other sets of shots, and we start going on walks, she will calm down. She is good on the leash inside so far.
Any ideas or suggestions on her aggression, or getting her to calm down with food?
And please, please dont try and bash me about taking her in at 5 weeks, It was either that, or she died. All the other pups that BYB had died, along with the mom. Shes very people friendly and loves the neighbors 2 year old German Shepard. She will only have good interactions with people and dogs as long as I can help it.
Also I will try and get a video of her acting aggressive, its kinda hard since Its really at random times.


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The New York Times
October 16, 1986
Section A; Page 6, Column 4; Foreign Desk
Stephen Engelberg
A Congressional investigation into links between the Nicaraguan rebels and the White House has centered on the role played by Robert Owen, a former Senate aide whose business card was found in the wreckage of a downed cargo plane in Nicaragua.
More than a dozen people interviewed by the staff of Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, identified Mr. Owen as a key figure in organizing the supply network for the Nicaraguan rebels, also known as contras, according to Dick McCall, an aide to Senator Kerry.
A report issued this week by Senator Kerry charges that Mr. Owen was an intermediary between the contras and Lieut. Col. Oliver North, a member of the National Security Council staff. The report also says that staff members of at least one conservative Senator have told Senator Kerry's aides that they are interested in pursuing the role of Mr. Owen.
Mr. Owen, now the staff director at the Washington-based Institute on Terrorism and Sub-National Conflicts, could not be reached for comment.
Testimony From McFarlane
The report by the Kerry staff relies mostly on unnamed sources whose identities are not characterized in any way. It says some of these sources said Mr. Owen attended meetings ''with many persons said to be trafficking in weapons at times when Owen has allegedly been a direct link between the contras and Lieut. Col. Oliver North.''
The White House said Colonel North had been investigated by the House and Senate intelligence committees in the past year and exonerated of any charge of violating the Congressional ban on providing direct or indirect aid to the contras. But some Congressional sources said those investigations were limited in scope and stopped short of demanding the relevant documents from the White House.
The Senate Intelligence Committee inquiry last year ended after Robert C. McFarlane, President Reagan's national security adviser at the time, wrote a letter denying the charges, according to a committee spokesman.
Representative Lee Hamiliton, the Indiana Republican who is chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said the House investigation involved testimony by Mr. McFarlane and by Col. North. Mr. Hamilton said staffers also had pursued several leads without success and that the investigation was continuing.
He said the committee had been unable to locate evidence that would support the accounts of Col. North's activities as reported in The New York Times and other publications. ''You can't contradict the National Security adviser with a newspaper clipping. You've got to have some witnesses,'' Representative Hamilton said.
At the time, some members of the House wanted to subpoena documents from the White House, an unusual step that raises questions of whether the information is protected by ''executive privilege,'' under which the President can withhold evidence of what he considers internal deliberations from other branches of Government.
One House official said the Intelligence Committee never voted on the question of a subpoena because the six-member Republican minority would have been joined by at least two Democrats, resulting in an 8-8 tie vote that would defeat the move.
'They Don't Want to Know'
''The position of the Republican minority is that they didn't know what's going on, but they don't want to know anything about it,'' said a House official familiar with the matter. ''There's a couple of members on the Democratic side who fully or partially agree with that. They just know the contras are being resupplied, they are aware a private network is doing it, and they assume there is coordination from some source in government. They don't want to know anything more about it.''
The issue of a possible White House role in aiding the contras was first raised more than a year ago. It arose again after a C-123 plane carrying supplies to the contras was shot down over Nicaragua on Oct. 5.
Two American crew members were killed and the surviving crew member, Eugene Hasenfus, said the supply operation at a Salvadoran air base was coordinated by two Cuban-Americans who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
The House committee this week held a closed hearing with C.I.A. and State Department officials, who have denied any knowledge of the flight. The officials did acknowledge that the Salvadoran Government had agreed to allow the supply operation use of the Ilopango air base, but said this decision was reached without any involvement of American officials.
Mr. Owen, 32 years old, was an aide to Senator Dan Quayle, Republican of Indiana. He worked as a lobbyist for Gray and Company in Washington for several years. He was a registered agent for Korea, the League of Arab States, Haiti, Thailand and Turkey, according to reports filed with the Justice Department.
Report Links Him to Arms Deals
From 1984 to 1985, according to the report by Senator Kerry's staff, Mr. Owen had no visible means of support but was involved in various arms deals and efforts to aid the contras. On several occasions, he told contras and others he was acting at the behest of the White House or C.I.A, according to sources who spoke with Mr. Kerry's staff.
The report noted that Mr. Owen worked for the Nicaraguan Humanitarian Aid Office as a contract employee in 1985 and 1986.
Neil C. Livingstone, the founder of the Institute on Terrorism and Sub-National Conflicts, said his organization was engaged in research and education and had no role in providing supplies to the contras. Mr. Livingstone, who is a former senior vice president at Gray and Company, said he hired Mr. Owen as a full-time staff member several months ago.
He said he was not surprised that some Congressional investigators had begun to question whether the institute was involved in aiding the contras. ''It's inevitable,'' he said. ''It's a small community. Rob has experience in this area. But it doesn't follow that this is what we're doing as an organization.''
He said of Mr. Owen: ''We knew he was a controversial character when we brought him aboard. Many of the people interested in these things as we are think the world of him.''
Congress cut off all aid to the contras more than two and a half years ago and voted this year to send $100 million in assistance. That money will be released shortly when Congress passes its catchall spending bill.
Senator Kerry has been trying to delay the flow of the money until the Foreign Relations Committee can investigate the charges with authority to issue subpoenas.
But Senate aides said the committee chairman, Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, has thus far refused to authorize the subpoenas and Senator Kerry has decided not to press for a vote in the full committee. This means that any investigation will be delayed at least until the new Congress convenes next year.
CORRECTION-DATE: October 17, 1986, Friday, Late City Final Edition
A Washington dispatch in some editions yesterday about a Congressional investigation of links between the Nicaraguan rebels and the White House misidentified the party of Representative Lee Hamilton, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is a Democrat.


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Shanghai Tea Garden – 18 Oct 2016
The weather finally seems to be changing so I took the opportunity to go for a lovely relaxing walk under blue skies to Northbridge and stop by Shanghai Tea Garden. I walked in and was immediately met by the inquisitive eyes of the patrons probably wondering what a foreigner is doing in their restaurant. I grabbed a menu which caters to a larger group with an array of dishes, or you can grab lunch time items for a few people. Takeaway is also offered. I chose the pork cabbage dumplings and the dry slightly spicy Shanghai daan noodles. I took a table outside. The dumplings are quite slippery, the skin is pretty thin and reasonably silky, the filling of pork and cabbage delicious. Dip a dumpling into the soy sauce mixture and devour. Dumplings carry a subtle flavour with the soy sauce adding just a touch of seasoning and is a great way to start the meal. With a serving of 15 dumplings there's no skimping here. The Shanghai Daan Noodles is a little thick and slightly heavy but tasty. It comes served with a minced pork mixture with a slight spiciness, crushed peanuts, and is almost a spaghetti Bolognese of sorts. The mixture is enough to lightly flavour the noodles turning it into a very enjoyable dish and something quite unique. I had to ask for this to be packed away. I also couldn't resist one of my favourite dishes, red bean pancake. A lovely golden brown deep fried pancake batter encasing soft delicious red bean mix. So yum, totally satisfied but really full. Good thing I've got a long walk back.


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Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Brick and Mortar or Plastic and Silicon?
So this got me to thinking (a dangerous thing, to be exercised with great caution): which way do you see the future headed? Which way will things trend: will the internet inspire new innovations that make bookstores appealing destinations for browsing, hanging out and (hopefully) buying, or does the convenience of the internet and the ability to easily find new and obscure books make the bookstore obsolete? Will there be fewer but bigger book superstores or more but smaller niche bookstores? Will our robot overlords make us eat books for survival, and if so, will we be delivered daily rations or will we have to go to the book/grocery store?
I'd also like to give a shout out to one of my very favorite bookstores, Borderlands in San Francisco's Mission District, home of Ripley the ridiculously awesome hairless sphinx and official mascot of Borderlands. If Ripley had been born a couple of thousand years ago we might all today be worshipping at shrines dedicated to her awesomeness and offering sacrifices of catnip and sunscreen.
31 comments:
- Liz said...
Guess I like to have my cake and eat it too. I love to browse a good bookstore, large or small. I also enjoy surfing the online stores.
I must confess, I do the majority of my holiday shopping online, books included. But other than that season, I'd much rather go to the store and purchase my books.
That way I can indulge myself with a good cup of coffee. Maybe enjoy a yummy pastry. Plus, escape my house, hubby and offspring. At least until my cell phone rings. Being upstairs on the computer doesn't allow any of the above benefits.
- March 28, 2007 at 2:34 PM
I foresee customers increasingly turning toward book buying online, but that could just be me and my friends, especially since I have heard that Amazon accounts for under 5% of an author's sales, with the bulk of the sales coming from Costco or Walmart, assuming that the author has distribution in those places. So perhaps the real future is in books being marketed outside of bookstores; being brought to the customers versus the customers going to them.
Jenny Maxwell
- March 28, 2007 at 2:50 PM
- Scott said...
I love going to the local Borders and Barnes & Noble (especially when I lived around the corner from B&N). I enjoy browsing through books while I sit in the cafe, and I've always liked the feel of a bookstore. I especially like the feel and service in a good independent bookstore.
Unfortunately, my work moved me to the hinterlands a few years ago. Last year, the last non-religious independent bookstore in the whole county closed its doors forever.
That said, I do at least 75% of my book shopping online because I can find more obscure research material and the classics at Amazon, and I can store books that interest me in my way-too-big-to-be-of-use-to-anyone-but-me wish list. That makes it easy to find something I want when I have book money.
Still, there's nothing like the feeling of discovering something you didn't know about at a bookstore, sitting down to browse through it, then spending more than you can afford to get it because you just can't bear to leave the store without it. That doesn't happen online. Not the same way. It's too easy to come back for it later.
- March 28, 2007 at 3:00 PM
- Dave Wilmot said...
The answer probably lies with the kids currently in k-12 and college. In Carnegie's day the solution was to make one book accessible to many and in a sense that is exactly what the 'net does except you don't have to physically travel very far. lulu.com and blurb.com, as examples, are nibbling at the edges of the publishing pie and there is some big money in the background watching. Personally I think it will end up being a variation on how we acquire hard copy.
- March 28, 2007 at 3:24 PM
- Annalee said...
I adore bookstores, so I'll be sad if they go the way of the milkman. I don't have anything against ordering stuff online, I just don't really like doing it. Like Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I appreciate the heft and smell of a book. And I want to appreciate those qualities while buying.
If the price difference were as large as it is for fabric, I'd switch in an instant. But when you factor in shipping and the 'having to wait for things to arrive' part, the difference is negligible to me.
As far as how bookstores can stay relevant in a world of cheap internet buys, there are a few things they can provide that the net can't (besides coffee and instant gratification). They can provide a social space. Interactivity should be a lively bookstore's buzzword-- how can they build themselves a personal relationship with patrons? How can they build a patron community, the way some indy bookstores already do? Those are things they can provide that amazon really can't. Sure, they've got their statistics-based recommendations and their review threads, but it's just not the same and it never will be (and thank God for that, because if it were we wouldn't have Rice's flame wars to entertain us).
- March 28, 2007 at 3:27 PM
I usually research my books online, then call the bookstore(s) and find out which one has it and ask them to leave it for me at the front. I walk in, pick it up and leave...
Savings of a dollar or two do not justify waiting a few days. I would like to see the bookstores go in that direction. Borders already has online inventory of their stores but unfortunately B&N don't...
- March 28, 2007 at 3:39 PM
As an ecologist, I would love to see books becoming virtual - paper replaced by pixels.
Less pollution from shipping, paper making, printing, ink, chemicals, and less waste from unsold books being 'recycled'.
Books would be instantly available, easily stored, and no trees would be cut down.
- March 28, 2007 at 3:41 PM
- Annalisa said...
I feel pretty much the exact same way as Liz. That is, I deeply love both browsing bookstores and ordering online. (Yay alliteration!) Like others have mentioned, I enjoy (over)indulging myself in both places.
I also tend to do almost all my holiday shopping online, especially now that I live four states away from my parents but still go home for Christmas every year. It's soooo much easier to tell Amazon to ship my Christmas presents to their house instead of buying, wrapping, and packing them into my car without scratching them up or leaving any behind.
So, a lot of it is convenience, but also (again as others mentioned) it's availability. Amazon just has more variety than any other store. And I can't get enough of it.
That said, I would never want to live in a world without bookstores. They are more important to me than newspapers, and you know how Thomas Jefferson felt about those. That's me and books. My boyfriend and I go to Barnes & Noble together all the time just to browse and indulge in our love of books together. It's probably the most romantic thing we do these days, haha. There's also a local bookstore with three resident cats that we'd really love to visit again, but we can't remember where it is.
To sum up my rambling comment: Long live online stores AND bookstores!
P.S. Who's watching ANTM tonight? I've been looking forward to it all week!
- March 28, 2007 at 3:53 PM
- Len said...
Both my wife an I have been booksellers by profession (me at Waterstone's, Waldenbooks, and B&N), I've been known to have an opinion or two about the industry. For what it's worth, here's my two cents.
Borders and B&N both make money year-in and year-out. Borders is clearly following B&N's lead in phasing out Waldenbooks just as B&N has destroyed B Dalton, store-by-store. The mall bookstore will probably be a memory before long, although I need to check out whether Border's Express (which is what Waldenbooks is being turned into) is more like Border's, only smaller in scope or just a tatty paint job on a rundown chain.
In short, I don't see the superstores going anywhere anytime soon.
The Internet tends to be the place for people who know exactly what they want, which is a surprisingly small share of the market. The great value of stores lies in customer service. For the customers who need to get a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities" for their teenagers, but don't know who wrote it (don't laugh; I've waited on these people) and for the ones who need "a book on business plans for catering" or a wedding planner or any of the hundreds of other generic requests that booksellers handle every day, bookstores suit their needs by coddling them.
For more sophisticated customers, the ambiance of a bookstore has meaning and a trip to a bookstore is a guilty pleasure. There is also the chance of coming across an unexpected treasure, something which is less likely when you're relying on a keyword search. There's also the chance to flip through the book, an activity that is sensual and resonant with sophisticated shoppers and of great practical value to the dolts.
Independents are having a hard time of it, unfortunately, although I think that the better ones have created niches for themselves, either by serving areas untouched by the big boys or by specializing. there's a new one planning to open near me in Decatur, Georgia, which is just adjacent to Atlanta. We've got our fingers crossed.
Costco and WalMart and Target sell bestsellers below cost as loss leaders. This is why B&N and Borders sell bestsellers at such deep discounts. It is also an area in which independents have no chance to compete.
So, in sum, I would say that you will continue to see the big superstore chains doing well and the independents having a hard time. I think bookstores are here to stay.
- March 28, 2007 at 3:55 PM
- Annalisa said...
...Oops, I realize that our preferences aren't really the issue here. You want to know about the possible future of bookselling. Hmm. I think that the numbers of bookstores may diminish (sadly), but brick-and-mortar stores will never become completely obsolete. Online bookstores may be aided by e-books and e-book readers, although I certainly don't see myself converting from books to those things. My boyfriend would probably want one though.
- March 28, 2007 at 3:57 PM
- Jaye Wells said...
I grew up in bookstores and love visiting whenever I can. However, my four-year-old seems to suck all the relaxation out of browsing for new titles. Thus, Amazon is my friend.
I wonder, though, if the increase in convenience-buying online might be an opportunity for independents who cater to niche markets.
- March 28, 2007 at 4:29 PM
- Liz said...
Len writes, "For the customers who need to get a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities" for their teenagers, but don't know who wrote it (don't laugh; I've waited on these people)"....
No laughing here. Those same folks visit local libraries, reading lists in hand and have no idea that fiction books are shelved in alpha order by last name or that non fiction has a call number.
I think you've hit on a possible reason why the bookstore will never disappear. Customer service will keep them in business. People are lazy and want to be catered to and in some cases spoonfed.
- March 28, 2007 at 5:28 PM
- Laurel Amberdine said...
I glazed over trying to read that strategy paper, so I have no idea what Borders is planning.
I've found, after a few years of shopping solely through Amazon, that I feel blind in a brick-and-mortar store. How can I find books that were shelved wrong? How do I find something when I can only remember the title? And most of all, what did I want anyway? Where's my wish list!?
Since I couldn't manage to read the Borders release, I don't know if they're addressing my troubles. It would be nice if walk-in bookstores could add some of the services that the online stores offer: flexible searching, comparisons, reviews, and personalized lists.
I do love to hang out in bookstores and browse shelves. I always wind up buying books... but they're usually ones that dazzled me with a pretty cover, not books I'd been meaning to buy. Oops.
- March 28, 2007 at 7:04 PM
- Jennifer McK said...
I love going online and finding the more obscure stuff that's tough to find sitting on the shelves at bookstores.
But nothing beats the smell, the feel and the sound of a bookstore. I have two different kinds of bookstores that meet two completely different moods.
There's a used bookstore that has the well loved, the first editions and the inexpensive waiting to be picked from the proverbial branches.
Then, there's the big, overwhelming bookstore with comfy chairs and foofy coffee.
I love them both.
- March 28, 2007 at 8:36 PM
I adore browsing the shelves at the bookstore and finding a random treasure. I shop online for specific books, and rarely browse the website because it's difficult to get a true sense of a book without being allowed to riffle through it. Especially books with lots of pictures. There is something very satisfying about holding a book and looking at gorgeous photos on heavy shiny paper. I don't get that same feeling when I look at books online.
That's one reason why I think there will always be books printed and bound in the traditional sense. Electronic books are a fine idea for novels, but what about nonfiction books? For example, I bought the collection of National Geographic magazines on CD-ROM a while back, and while I love having 120 years of magazines in a package that weighs just a few pounds, the electronic version pales in comparison to the printed version. I wouldn't pop in a CD and browse randomly for hours, as I would be inclined to do if I had a bookshelf full of magazines in front of me. It's functional and practical to have them on CD-ROM, but not as much fun.
So, I like going to the bookstore and holding a book in my hand. I am much more excited to buy that book than one I purchase from a fuzzy cover photo and some stranger's recommendations. I may end up buying my books online, but I don't think the physical bookstore browsing experience is something that can be replaced.
My local bookstore has a nice used book section, which makes for great impulse buys since I know I can't find it online for much less.
- March 28, 2007 at 8:41 PM
- The Anti-Wife said...
If you're looking for something specific and have the time to wait for it to be shipped, Amazon is a great way to go. The variety is amazing and the prices are good.
If you just want the most current bestseller or Oprah's latest book club pick, Costco and Walmart are quick, easy and cheap - instant gratification.
If you want to see and touch the books - take your time to browse through the sections, pick a book and read a chapter to decide if it's really what you want, then the superstores with their comfy chairs and cafes are great. They offer variety and ambiance.
I believe that these 3 venues will continue to prosper for the forseeable future.
The stores that seem most in danger of extinction are the small independents. Considering the overhead associated with bookstores, they will be unable to compete financially. It's a shame because some of them offer the most personal purchasing experience, but the fiscal realities of our economy will eventually cause them to shut down.
- March 28, 2007 at 9:27 PM
- Peter R said...
As a business analyst in the financial world I have struggled with the 'clicks v bricks & mortar' issue for many years. There are a number of broad trends that have emerged. 1) Customers expect to buy cheaper online. 2) Physical shopping has become a recreational experience. 3) Successful click companies tend to develop a b&m presence. 4) Successful b&m companies extend their range in cyberspace. 5) small b&m companies need a nieche. How does this translate to the world of books: Large bookstores must enter cyberspace to survive on both cost and range – the likes of Borders were mad to let Amazon develop a virtual monopoly, the fight back will now be long and hard. Physical bookstores must offer customers a shopping 'experience' – there is no substitute for flicking through a real book, but customers often need an extra reason to enter the store. That experience must be uniquely different to their competitors or they will be forced to amalgamate. Small book stores must offer the unique personal touch and build up a client base of loyal customers who know that if they don't 'use it they will lose it' – reader groups, civic book of the month promotion, writer's circles, mini book fairs, arts promotions, town writing competitions, workshops, loads of contacts with schools, meet the local author events, (including those who have self published/published on Lulu.com). I don't see a lot of local stores that do this at the moment, but those that do are thriving.
- March 29, 2007 at 5:37 AM
- Peter R said...
PS. Ripley is awesome.
- March 29, 2007 at 5:44 AM
- Janet said...
TV was going to kill movies too. And then videos were going to kill theaters... Granted, they did shake things up, but movie theaters are still around. Home systems can't reproduce the huge screen, immense sound, and a crowd to share it with.
In the same way, the Internet will not kill bookstores. It's nice and efficient when you know which book you want and you're going to order enough to eliminate shipping fees. When that's the case, I buy online.
But when you want to browse, look for a new author that seems promising, leaf through books to compare, nothing beats a bookstore. My husband and I go on bookstore "dates", starting usually with a trip to the Starbucks and followed by an hour or so of browsing in different sections. There's no way you can get that online.
- March 29, 2007 at 10:41 AM
- Meiran said...
To the person who asked how they are supposed to find a book that is shelved incorrectly or where it is if they can only find the title:
Ask a bookseller. That is far and above (as others have said) the thing that will save bookstores if they bookstores pay attention to what they have. It's a golden resource. If a man comes in to the store and says "I need a book for my 14 year old daughter, but I don't know what..." I can say "What does she like, what's her favorite movie?" You can be as vague as you want, you can know almost nothing about a book, and it's entirely likely we can help you.
"There was a lady on NPR the other day...her book was something sister? Sister something? I don't remember what show she was on, or what her name was, but it sounded good."
Yes, I've gotten that, and yes we did find the book for her and put it in her hand.
As for shelving wrong, I know most of the common shelving mistakes, plus what displays a book is likely to be on.
Long ramble made short: if bookstores make customer service and qualified experienced booksellers their priority, they will always have a place in the world. Brick and mortar and a person to talk to will always win in my world, mostly because I've had nothing but trouble from Amazon proper, and since I work at a bookstore, I can navigate them extremly easily.
Plus, as someone else pointed out: Borders and B&N are still making money.
(Also, I've been in a few Border's Express, they seem to be Border's Light on the outside but who knows what they're ordering and backroom systems are like).
- March 29, 2007 at 5:48 PM
Borderlands rocks. I happened in there the other day after work, not knowing a reading was scheduled. I wasn't even sure who was speaking at the time, but I had an hour to spare and sat down to listen.
That never happens at Amazon.
P.P.S. Ripley rocks. You can get Ripley postcards, too.
- March 30, 2007 at 1:46 AM
- Maya Reynolds said...
You asked for predictions. Here are mine:
1) Niche retailers (mysteries, sci-fi, etc.) will move entirely online. The virtual marketplace overcomes the geographic and economic problems of small numbers of enthusiasts widely disbursed plus the heavy costs of bricks-and-mortar.
2) Big box stores will continue their focus on volume sales of best sellers. Instead of expanding to mid-list, these stores will also carry books in various languages appealing to the immigrant population (Hispanic, Indian, Asian) in the immediate locality.
3) Electronic books will continue to grow in popularity in direct relation to the development of more sophisticated e-reading devices at cheaper prices.
4) Large bookchains (and independent booksellers who survive) will focus on book-related events and membership in clubs of varying prices and interests. Customers will be invited to join at the level that suits their needs.
Author events will come with a price tag (whether it be paying full price for an autographed book or paying for a guaranteed seat). The chains will focus on building communities by giving workshops and offering space for bookclubs to meet.
Thanks, Nathan, for this exercise. I enjoyed it.
- March 30, 2007 at 7:19 AM
- Heatheness said...
Such interesting comments. Pardon the length of this one.
I own an independent, brick and mortar, used and rare bookstore. I started it around 2 years ago with less than $5000 and under 1000 books. It's in an east coast, rust belt city's Little Italy neighborhood. I wrote a 3 year business plan, conservative as I could make it; I expected no significant profit until the end of year 3.
When I opened at the end of 2005, I became the 4th used and rare shop in this supposedly dying town. I had no scanners, no searchable database, hell - no cash register. A recipe for failure? Hardly. I turned my first profit at month 13. I constantly have fresh stock because I trade vigorously, engage with book scouts, buy whole private libraries, and donate all the superfluous crap. The stock I carry has very little resemblence to what I thought I'd sell...but I know that I survived because of two things - my only mission was 'to serve at the pleasure' of my city's readers, and second, I enjoy the support and comraderie of my colleagues. They and I know one another's stock (and specialties) well, and tend to treat each other's stores like our own back rooms. I have yet to go through a week without giving or getting a referral. There are readers enough for us all, and our cooperation is our strength.
We do have competition that hurts us however: strip mall, off-price, overstock/remainder outlets; and the online heavy hitters: Amazon, ABE, Powells, though I often buy from them myself to fulfill special orders. (There is a huge demogrpahic over 50 who fearfully refuse to buy anything online and cheerfully pay me to do so for them.)
The malls, Walmart/Costcos, Barnes and Noble, and Borders are all suburban here. They have a negigible effect on us in the city.
But I confess - I am not all cooperation and live-and-let-live. I have made it my personal mission to put the last remainder outlet in town out of business. It's within 2 miles of my store and I hate its existence with a burning white hot passion. It has horrible stock, the worst I have seen outside of an airport giftshop. It feels barren and weird and temporary, all fluouresence and cheap metal, as if at any moment it might turn into a cube-filled call center. Their employees know less than nothing - they make the average Barnes and Noble cashier look like a head librarian at Trinity College. Simply, this store must die. And it will. During my short tenure it has shrunk from 4000 square feet down to 1000. I can't wait to dance in front of its FOR LEASE headstone.
Anyway. I forgot to mention the best part. There is no downside. When it's busy the store is a playground full of book people giving me good talk and money, and when it's quiet, I write. So you other writers, save some start-up bread, quit the day job, and open a used bookstore already. You won't regret it.
- March 30, 2007 at 10:37 AM
- Maya Reynolds said...
heatheness: While I appreciate your joy in your used bookstore, understand that the proliferation of secondhand bookstores is viewed with dread by most writers, who fear such operations are cutting into their revenue. Writers are, of course, only paid on the sales of NEW books. The writers' fear seems to be that the purchase of a used book *may* prevent the purchase of a new book.
I think the flip side of that is that used books are often the place that writers can pick up new readers. A reader who is unwilling to risk $25 on a new book may very well be willing to spend $12 for that same book. And, if the bookseller deals in rare books as you do, that sale is unlikely to take dollars away from anyone but your own competition.
Everyone is balancing on a thin wire. Publishers worry about the cash flow problems created by the "returns" system and about answering to their corporate parents. Bookstores worry about the thin margins created when big box stores or internet operations deeply discount the best-sellers. New writers worry that both publishers and bookstores will be unwilling to give them a chance since best-selling authors are less risky investments.
I actually think that, as bricks-and-mortar chains like B&N and Borders seek new ways of boosting revenue, they might look into selling used books alongside the new books. In my opinion, that is a better move than selling unvetted self-published books, which Borders appears to be considering.
I guarantee you--the first time I purchase a badly written self-published book in a Borders (not recognizing it as such), it will be the last time I purchase a book there.
- March 30, 2007 at 3:06 PM
- Heatheness said...
Maya, do you think that authors view used and rare bookstores as competition for THEIR profit? Really? I've never heard that. Not once. Not anywhere.
I hazard to contradict you and say that real writers don't think that. At all. Ask any published author if they'd rather see their used or remaindered books destroyed rather than turning on a new reader. Because that is the real choice here: garbage or new reader. The existence of used bookstores does not hurt an author's ability to reprint. The only thing that effects THAT is the quality of the writing and the risk the publisher was willing to take on them in the first place. Used bookstores have nothing to do with it.
What the self-published writers do and think is of no concern to me, either as a bookstore owner, or as simply a reader of good books. FWIW, apart from the chapbooks of local poets, I don't carry self-published ANYTHING, and neither do any of the other bookstores in town.
Is this common in other parts of the country? Maya's post seemed to imply that used bookstores can be veritable warehouses for self-published "books". Sorry, but this is a foreign concept to me.
Although, as a writer myself, I say let the self-published go right ahead and throw their good money after their bad writing. That's their right. And continued power to them, because they make you and me look all the wiser. Darwinism. It's evolution, baby.
That said, the used and rare bookstores I know ALL promote real authors exclusively. We frigging HAND-SELL their books, giving those authors new readers on a silver (albeit dented and somewhat dog-eared) platter. I sell books of theirs that would have otherwise been a strata of landfill. And since I read them, collect them, compile them, clean them, price them, shelve them and sell them, I think I more than earn the right to make a few cents.
Just out of curiousity, do you view thrift stores as bottom feeders on the apparel industry? Or aluminum recyclers as sycophants on the beverage industry? How about used cars? Is that wrong too, is it hurting the auto industry irreparably?
I just don't get your beef at all. Why aim a shot at used bookstores and not at every single person who lists their already-read books online and resells them? Those people aren't a stablizing force in their communities as I am. Those people, selling their books for a cent and then making $3 profit on the shipping, how do you figure that they're more acceptable and author-loving than a store such as mine that actually preserves the appreciation of the writer not to mention the value of the book itself?
Because I made a pittance off a book that was never going to see penny one of any further profit, reprint or otherwise, anyway? Whatever. Go back to Borders, then. And stay there; you might as well, because surely none of their profit does. Whereas ALL of mine, little as it is, stays right here. So put that in your conglomerate owned big-box, book-buying pipe and smoke on it.
- March 31, 2007 at 9:46 AM
- Nathan Bransford said...
Actually, in my humble opinion used books really are something the industry has to contend with. I don't think the problem is so much with used bookstores, but potentially with the fact that Amazon and other online retailers now sell used books along with new -- it's now extremely easy for a consumer to buy a used book now, much easier than it used to be. In an industry with very small profit margins to begin with, both for publishers and authors, it's yet another thing to contend with.
- March 31, 2007 at 10:38 AM
- Heatheness said...
I understand your point, Nathan. I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with it. I already mentioned the like examples of thrift stores, recyclers, and used cars.
For what you said to be true (about us negatively affecting the take home pay of an author) you'd have to also say something retarded like libraries are hurting the bottom line of authors too, as soon as they lend the book more than once. And do you say that? Of course not. Libraries serve a further purpose, that of promoting literacy (and thus all writers), as well as promoting individual writers whose books are desired by the local population of readers. Which, funny, is exactly what I do, except I charge nominal amount and you get to keep the book.
Yet I also pay the taxes and attend the fundraisers that make libraries in my county possible. You won't ever hear me complain that they're my competition, or even that I'm the least unhappy to do it; I'm not. The more readers, the better. And I say that as a citizen, not just as a bookstore owner.
Listen, what you describe is an apocrypha. There aren't ANY readers or independent booksellers who DON'T want authors to make more money and sell more books. To say a store like mine and/or readers who resell something they already paid retail for once are taking money from the pockets of authors....it's just not so.
There's much more to the world of the reader and life of a book than what takes place in retail. It's enriching for society, not enpauvrating for the author. That's all I'm saying (even if I had to make up a word to do it).
- March 31, 2007 at 1:52 PM
- Nathan Bransford said...
Libraries are a somewhat different case because they tend to only buy one book, and it constrains the number of people that could read a book for free.
But mostly it's a volume issue. If someone can go on Amazon and choose between a much cheaper used copy and a new copy, if they chose the used copy that's a potential sale, and royalty, lost for the author. A couple of sales, then hey, no big deal, but if thousands and thousands of people do this it adds up.
Publishing is a very small margin industry, and while I appreciate your overall point about literacy and about an author building a fan base, I also don't think ignoring the effect on publishers and authors is the whole story.
Don't get me wrong, I really love bookstores that sell both new and used books (such as Borderlands), I love the Strand, etc. etc. I'm not trying to cast a stone against all used book sales. However a consequence of the digital age is that it may become too easy to buy a used book via the internet, and that could potentially be cause for concern.
I put my money where my mouth is on this one -- I have not bought a used book since I became a literary agent. I want the author to benefit from the fact that I read their book.
- March 31, 2007 at 2:10 PM
- Heatheness said...
In my sorta rabid ranting I forgot to mention that I agreed with what Nathan said about online sellers simultaneously offering new and used copies. That does divert the profit flow in gross favor of the online entity at the clear expense of both author and publisher.
I don't know what to do about that either, except participate as little as possible. As a reader, I don't buy my own reading material online, and as a bookseller, I don't offer my stock online because I'm much too busy concentrating on providing my neighborhood what it wants to read.
Advice for the publishers? I don't know, adapt? Join forces and pressure amazon to do what you want, whether it's pay more for new books, or make it less profitable for readers and warehousers to sell used books that are still in print. Just please don't blame recycling readers and brick-and-mortars anymore for the difficulty behemoths face in adapting quickly to market conditions.
- March 31, 2007 at 3:04 PM
- Maya Reynolds said...
Sorry, I've been occupied with other things and just got back to this post.
Heatheness: As Nathan says, this IS an issue. Important enough that the Book Industry Study Group did a huge study on it about 18 months ago. Their findings indicated that, in 2004, about one out of every twelve books sold is a used book. They projected that, within five years, the number is expected to be one out of eleven.
The Associated Press said in 9/05 that "this is a troubling trend when sales of new works are essentially flat; [and] authors and publishers receive no royalties from used buys."
Nathan is exactly right. Readers once had to drive from one used bookstore to another to find a book because inventories weren't computerized. Nowadays, buying a used book takes seconds on the Internet.
I suspect that you were so outraged by my original comment that you didn't read my post carefully. I did not connect used books and self-published writers at all. I DID say that Borders is considering getting into the self-published business, and I DID say that I would not be happy to find myself accidentally buying a badly written self-published book.
Nathan made the other points I would have made in response to you.
- April 2, 2007 at 4:55 AM
- Heatheness said...
Oh my God, how funny. These are some of the biggest fiscal and philosophical challenges to face modern publishing, and we killed the thread - dead - just by discussing it. Yay us, Maya (and NB) for trying to hash it out anyway.
But listen, come on now, let's be cool. I read and dug what you said without any problem whatsoever. (I simply don't agree.) And I have no issue with the results of the BISG thing either; I'm just a wee bit perplexed there was a need to do a study on it in the first place. I mean, there are used books floating around that retain some value?? Ya think? I wonder what that totally obvious conclusion cost them. They could find nothing better to research with that money and time? (tongue in cheek, tongue in cheek... I'm sure there were more detailed reasons and results.)
Anyway, I think we can agree that many used books exist and accumulate, not too many for the whole world, but definitely too many for publishers to realize growth in profits by using a strategy that focuses on new books alone.
But maybe (ok, not just maybe) there is a direct, BLOODY NON-COINCIDENTAL correlation between there being TOO MANY NEW books THIS year, and TOO MANY USED books the NEXT.
In other words, YES, too many used books today means that yesterday there were too many new ones.
And my main bitch is that books are not single-use napkins. They never were, and they never will be. So how dare publishing EVER blame anyone but itself and its own decisions for not being able to maintain profitability without requiring that "A" - the authors and/or other publishing workers starve, as well as "B" - the readers burn Peter's books in order to make room for Paul's.
You guys seem so nice and intelligent, wherefore comes this mental block between cause and effect here? And why so loathe to lay the responsibility for publishing's precarious state of affairs at the feet of the corporations who created the conditions?
- April 2, 2007 at 11:54 AM


text:
Why is photography not permitted during Shabbat Services ?
Taking photographs involves two kinds of labor that are proscribed by the laws of the Torah. These labors, which are derived from the constructive work done when building the Tabernacle in the desert, consist of 39 categories. Photography constitutes a sub-category of (1) Boneh (Building)- the completing of a small electrical circuit, as in a camera/computer etc is seen as the building of the circuit and Makeh b'patish (The final hammer blow)- this refers to the completing of any item. Thus in activating the circuit you complete the building of it. These two are involved numerous times, especially with digital cameras and SLR film cameras- turning them, the autofocus, the activating of the view screen, the completing of the picture in saving it to the memory card.
Although many of us do not subscribe to the rigorous observance of these laws, part of our shared responsibility as a holy community entails a "raising of the bar" to the ideal practices of Conservative Judaism when we gather for worship and other activities on Shabbat.
Why do we require head coverings for all those who ascend the bimah during Shabbat Services ?
Jewish Law mandates every Jewish male to cover his head whenever he walks a distance beyond four cubits, based upon the statement in the Talmud that the mother of Rabbi Nachman bar Yitzchak would not allow him to go with his head uncovered for she said, "Cover your head in order that you should have the fear of heaven upon you." Women who are or have been married (widows and divorcees) are similarly expected to cover their hair (the source for which is different - for another time), yet a female who has never been married does not have to cover her hair.
The ethos of our expectation that all who approach the bimah during Services cover their heads comes from a shared sentiment that this is an area of heightened sanctity, for which there should be a greater sense of reverence. This mindset, the Ritual Committee has posited, is manifested by the covering of one's head. And, as an egalitarian congregation, there are no deviations for reasons of gender or marital status.
Why do we ask that service attendees silence their cell phones ?
At the risk of sounding provocative, the use of cell phones and pagers in the Sanctuary is one of the most obvious examples of how electronic technology can undermine spirituality. Our love affair with technology is also about a quest for control. We're living in an age of change and upheaval. There's an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. But technology gives us the illusion of control, a sense of order. Pick up a smart phone and you have a reliable, dependable device that does whatever you tell it to do. You certainly can't say that about your colleagues or families. On an average day, many of us are checking voice mail, texting, updating our Facebook, and sending/receiving hundreds of emails. Yet, on Shabbat we have the choice of being unplugged from battery powered communication, in deference to the sanctity of the day and our holy connections to spouses, family and community.
What is with the gathering, holding and kissing of the tzitzit ?
Our bringing together the fringes on each of the four corners of the tallit garment signifies the coming together of the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth, which is foretold in the blessing that precedes our daily Declaration of Faith. Like the Shema prayer itself, this action is also an expression of God's oneness. In ancient times, tzitzit were worn on everyday clothes as a sign of freedom. They served as a means of identification, as only those who were free were able to wear tzitzit. In these times, kissing the tzitzit was often seen in business dealings wherein it signified the sealing of a contract. Today, the tzitzit are kissed during recitation of the Shema to reinforce that the words being recited are taken seriously. Upon reciting the third paragraph of the Shema, it is customary to kiss the tzitzit each of the three times they are mentioned. When the leader reads the final words, the tzitzit are kissed for the fourth time.
Why do we only recite some, but not all of Hallel on the final six days of Pesach ?
As is the case in many other contexts, we have here a standard of practice with several alleged reasons. One rabbinic tradition is that only the "half" Hallel is recited on the last six days of Passover because joy is mitigated by the calamity that then befell the Egyptian host when pursuing the Israelites (see Meg. 10b); another reason given is because no different sacrifice was offered each day - which contrasts to the final days of Sukkot, on which offerings of increasing size were given as the holiday proceeded.
When and why do people say "Baruch hu u'varuch sh'mo" when the prayer leader recites a blessing?
We have several opportunities to be participants in blessings when they are initiated and recited by others. The most common, of course, is Amen, an affirmation of the truth of the words recited by the prayer leader at the end of his/her recitation of a blessing. The response barukh hu u-varukh shemo ("Blessed is He and Blessed be His Name") is a doxology (an expression of praise to God) to be added when hearing someone else reciting a berakhah. The most frequent context for these words in the service is the repetition of the Amidah. The phrase has become a watchword of sorts for many of our worshippers, who would do well to learn the correct (and far less frequent) usages of barukh hu u-varukh shemo. Some guidelines will appear in future editions of Shul FAQs.
Despite the fact that these words, translated "Blessed is God and blessed is His Name," adds great praise to the Holy One, in most places of the service it constitutes a break in the flow of one's kavannah, or intentional focus, while listening to a blessing. For instance, if one wishes to be yotzé on the berakhah that the leader is reciting (that is, if you wish to respond to it 'Amen' and have it considered as if you, too, had recited the berakhah) - then you must not respond barukh hu u-varukh sh'mo. Examples of this include the Kiddush blessing of Shabbat Eve and the Shofar blessing of Rosh Hashanah.
Now that we have raised attention to the need for discretion in reciting this popular phrase among traditional Jews, it will be helpful to know when it is to be utilized and when omitted ... UTILIZE the doxology of "Baruch hu u'varuch sh'mo" during the Early Morning Blessings before p. 83, for the blessing of Yishtabach on p. 106, during the repetition of the Amidah, and when listening to the Torah and Haftarah blessings; OMIT it during the Pseukei D'Zimra (pp. 83-105) and the three blessings of Shacharit (pp. 107-114), as well as during the singing aloud of the Amidah for Musaf, when it would pose an interruption to the flow of our blessings.
Congregation Rodef Shalom
450 South Kearney Street
Denver, Colorado 80224
Voice: (303) 399-0035
Fax: (303) 399-7623
Office Hours:
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text:
Quilting is a tradition that historical significance all over the world. The earliest known quilting comes from Egypt and Mongolia. Historians believe that Crusaders brought quilting back from the Middle East and that the tradition continued to develop from there. In America quilting has its own traditions as well. Pioneers who settled out West used paper for the batting (inner layer of the quilt). African American women created a unique type of quilting – story quilts. These quilts are similar to the Amish tradition of quilting, but today we're going to look at the Quilts of Gee's Bend.
Once you arrive at the main page I would recommend that you start by clicking on the section Did You Know? or the section Learn About Gee Bend's History. These sections will provide you with historical context for the quilts you'll be checking out next, as well as some very interesting tidbits about Gee's Bend.
Next, I would recommend clicking Quiltmakers, because you can learn more about the craft and how the quilts are made in their community. After that, head on over to the Quilts section, but don't be dismayed when it looks like nothing is there – you have to click the Click Here link to see the quilts currently in the gallery. You can find more images of the Quilts of Gee's Bend here.
In the Did You Know section they mention the government sending photographers to document Gee's Bend, if you'd like to see those images and the history surrounding then you can check out this site.
Tags: african american history, black history month, Crafts, quilt, quilter, quilting, quilts


text:
While most of us lament the state of our children's school dinners, Italy – and Rome in particular – is bucking the trend, providing its students with wholesome, organic fare. Worldwatch's State of the World 2010 report reveals that 67.5 per cent of food served to Rome's 150,000 school children is organic, 26 per cent is local, 14 per cent is certified fair trade and 2 per cent comes from social co-operatives which employ former prisoners or cultivate land confiscated from the Mafia. The birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, Italy prides itself on a long history of valuing homegrown produce and promoting a healthy attitude to food. Getting a decent school meal is considered an integral part of the right of citizens to health and education: in 1999, the Government passed a law which explicitly promotes 'the use of organic, typical and traditional products' in school and hospital canteens.
This column was published in the March 2010 issue of New Internationalist. To read more, buy this issue or subscribe.


text:
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