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"An African City" Major Players Talk Business, Ghana And More
Nicole Amarteifio, Millie Monyo, and actress Esosa E breakdown getting sponsors, developing Ghana's entertainment hub and, of course, "The Belly Button Test".
Created by Nicole Amarteifo and Millie Monyo, An African City, has hit viral proportions. The…
By Kevin L. Clark (@KevitoClark)
June 3, 2014 Tags: Accra, An African City, Esosa E, Ghana, MaameYaa Boafo, Millie Monyo, Nicole Amarteifio, webseries, YouTube


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Zoledronic Acid in Acute Spinal Cord Injury
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified January 2017 by Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University
Department of Health and Human Services
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Thomas Jefferson University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: July 6, 2012
Last updated: January 12, 2017
Last verified: January 2017
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
Maintenance of bone mass following spinal cord injury (SCI) is essential to fracture prevention and the associated morbidity of bed rest and further secondary complications. Intravenous (IV) zoledronic acid (ZA) is an FDA-approved drug that has been shown to be more effective than other agents in reducing bone mass resorption and leg fractures in post-menopausal women, but has not been studied in patients with acute SCI. This will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of IV ZA to prevent bone loss early after SCI. Up to 48 subjects will be randomized to receive a one-time dose of 5 mg of IV ZA versus placebo within 21 days of an SCI.
|Spinal Cord Injury
|Drug: Zoledronic acid Drug: normal saline 0.9%
|Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Zoledronic Acid to Prevent Bone Loss After Acute Spinal Cord Injury
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: Bone Density Spinal Cord Injuries
Drug Information available for: Zoledronic acidU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Thomas Jefferson University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- change in bone mineral density [ Time Frame: one year ]
Change in bone mineral density (BMD) assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline, 4 months, and 12 months post-injury.
This will compare BMD at the hip, distal femur and proximal tibia.
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Biomarkers of bone formation and resorption [ Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 4 month, and 12 months ]
Collection of blood biomarkers of bone formation and resorption at selected time intervals within the first 12 months post-injury.
This will observe the timing of metabolic indexes of bone formation and resorption, and of pro-osteoclastogenic factors promoting bone resorption.
- safety and tolerability of zoledronic acid [ Time Frame: one year ]Assessment of the safety and tolerability of zoledronic acid in the acute spinal cord injury population. This will be done by examination reportable adverse events including fevers, flu-like symptoms, GI upset as measures of safety and report of patient's willingness to have participate in physical therapy in the first week after receiving medication as a measure of tolerability
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|May 2012
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|September 2017
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|September 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Zoledronic Acid 5 mg IV infusion
Single infusion of 5 mg intravenous zoledronic acid given within 21 days of acute traumatic spinal cord injury.
Drug: Zoledronic acid
5 mg zoledronic acid infused intravenously over two hours (2.5mg per hour), given only once, within 21 days of acute traumatic spinal cord injury.
Other Name: Reclast
Placebo Comparator: normal saline 0.9%
Infusion of normal saline of equivalent volume to reconstituted zoledronic acid, given only once and run over 2 hours, to occur within 21 days of acute traumatic spinal cord injury.
Drug: normal saline 0.9%
Infusion of equivalent volume of 0.9% normal saline to that of the reconstituted zoledronic acid, given only once over two hours, occurring within 21 days of acute traumatic spinal cord injury
Other Names:
Detailed Description:
Maintenance of bone mass following spinal cord injury (SCI) is essential to fracture prevention and the associated morbidity of bed rest and further secondary complications. Intravenous (IV) zoledronic acid (ZA) has been shown to be more effective than other agents in reducing bone mass resorption and fracture of the legs in post-menopausal women, but has not been studied in acute spinal cord injury. Two previous studies of ZA in persons with subacute SCI, while promising, were inconclusive. As stated in the long range plan of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), one goal in the area of health and function is to "focus on the onset of new conditions…exacerbation of existing conditions, or the development of coexisting conditions." This study is intended to demonstrate reduction in loss of bone mass at the hip and knee regions in acute SCI in a rigorous study of sufficient size to determine effectiveness of our intervention.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 65 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Ages 18-65, male or female
- Traumatic SCI with Neurological level C4-T10, AIS (ASIA Impairment Scale) A,
- Serum calcium level >7.0 mg/dL) at time of study drug administration
- Screening baseline serum 25OH (25-hydroxy) vitamin D of at least 13 ng/ml
- No medical contraindication to supplemental vitamin D for participants whose levels are >13 ng/ml but sub-therapeutic (<32ng/ml)
- No medical contraindication to supplemental calcium
- Weight under 300 pounds, which is the maximum permitted on the DXA scanner
Exclusion Criteria:
- Ventilator-dependent individuals
- Chronic steroid use (defined as >6 months)
- Rheumatoid disease with use of prior disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) affecting bone density
- History of osteoporosis or of treatment for osteopenia or osteoporosis with bisphosphonates, or selective reuptake estrogen modifying agents
- Current use of medications* including bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis (*note that prior calcium or vitamin D use is not an exclusion criteria)
- History of more than one lower extremity osteoporosis-related fracture
- Chronic renal insufficiency, creatinine clearance < 35 ml/min, during screening
- End stage liver or kidney disease
- Medical conditions resulting in hypogonadal states that affect bone density
- Uncontrolled thyroid disease/thyrotoxicosis
- Hereditary or acquired metabolic bone disorder
- History of use of unfractionated heparin for >1 year
- History of selected antiseizure medications, specifically phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, sodium valproate >1 year
- Acute or chronic bilateral lower extremity fractures involving tibia or femur, with placement of surgical hardware in any areas of above locations
- Severe hypotension requiring use of intravenous blood pressure agents such as dopamine, norepinephrine or phenylephrine. Exception may allow for patients on pressors who arm experiencing hypotension as they acclimate to upright posture.
- Inability to provide informed consent and understand the consent process
- Facial fractures requiring oral surgery
- Dental surgery or oral maxillofacial surgery within 2 weeks of anticipated study drug administration
- Pregnancy present on admission
- Vitamin D deficiency on admission testing (serum 25-OH D reported as < 13 ng/mL )
- Patients with an established reaction to, or history of, anaphylactic shock to aspirin
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01642901
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01642901
|Contact: Christina V Oleson, MD
|Contact: Ralph J Marino, MD
|United States, Pennsylvania
|Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
|Contact: Marilyn P Owens, RN, BSN 215-955-6579 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Contact: Christina V Oleson, MD 215-955-6579 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Christina V Oleson, MD
|Sub-Investigator: Ralph J Marino, MD
Sponsors and Collaborators
Thomas Jefferson University
Department of Health and Human Services
|Principal Investigator:
|Christina V Oleson, MD
|Thomas Jefferson University
More Information
Keywords provided by Thomas Jefferson University:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Thomas Jefferson University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01642901 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|July 6, 2012
|Last Updated:
|January 12, 2017
|Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
|Plan to Share IPD:
Keywords provided by Thomas Jefferson University:
spinal cord injury
bone mineral density
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Wounds and Injuries
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Cord Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Trauma, Nervous System
Zoledronic acid
Bone Density Conservation Agents
Physiological Effects of Drugs
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Note: This item is more than 13 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
Print – Plain Text – Permalink
News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030
May 3, 2004
TPWD's Ted Hollingsworth To Lead Final San Jacinto Tour
HOUSTON — For 11 years, Ted Hollingsworth has led an annual tour for school groups at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. But May 4 will be his last such tour, when he leads a group of 7th graders from the Seabrook Intermediate School's science program on environmental tours of the site. This will be the last hurrah for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employee, who is moving his family to Austin to take a new job with the agency.
Since 1993, Hollingsworth has worked to preserve the area's wildlife diversity as one of the few remaining native prairie, tidal marsh and bottomland forests in East Harris County. By restoring wetlands and marshes to more like they were at the time of the battle, Hollingsworth has helped interpret and preserve the rich cultural history of the battleground and final resting place for many Mexican and Texan soldiers. Hollingsworth will continue supervising wetlands work at the site even after he moves from his Houston home to TPWD headquarters in Austin this spring.
"We were able to take a resource that was horribly degraded and restore it to an area that has incredible biological value," he said of his work to help conserve more than 2,000 acres of critical wetlands around Southeast Texas. "We are not just respecting the wildlife that lives there, we are respecting culture. There are still Mexican soldiers buried there."
A recent improvement to the Historic Site is a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk that winds through the wetlands not far from the San Jacinto Monument. Hollingsworth says the trail is so new — work is not yet completed — that visitors driving by the monument will do a double take and slam on their brakes when they see the boardwalk.
"It's neat to see those people who have never gone out on the marsh on purpose before," he said. "They're so excited to see wildlife that they've never seen before. That trail just attracts people like a magnet."
Growing busier with conservation issues and improvements like the boardwalk, Hollingsworth has had to cut down on outreach activities. He always continued with the annual tour "just because they are such a neat group of kids, a good group of kids."
On the final tour, Hollingsworth will lead with an hour-long lecture about water quality issues before the students go out on their own to catch fish, shrimp and other aquatic wildlife — "if it's there, a kid with a dip net will manage to catch it," he said.
For more information about San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, visit the Web (http://tpwd.texas.gov/park/sanjac/) or call (281) 479-2431.
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(5.4.16 i)


text:
Gamma-delta Tocotrienol as Potential Maintenance Treatment in Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer (GEMM1a)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Healthy Subjects
|Dietary Supplement: Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol and Tocotrienol Rich Fraction
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Phase 1a: A Randomized, 2-period Cross-over Study to Compare the Bioavailability of Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol (GDT) With That of Tocotrienol Rich Fraction (TRF) in Twelve Healthy Subjects
- Peak Plasma Concentration (Cmax)of drug [ Time Frame: 0 to 24 hours after dosing ]
|Study Start Date:
|January 2013
|Study Completion Date:
|February 2013
|Primary Completion Date:
|January 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Experimental: Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol
Dietary Supplement: Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol and Tocotrienol Rich Fraction
Single oral TRF or Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol dosage
|Active Comparator: TRF
Dietary Supplement: Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol and Tocotrienol Rich Fraction
Single oral TRF or Gamma-Delta Tocotrienol dosage
Detailed Description:
Twelve healthy subjects will be admitted to a clinical study ward on the Day 0. Physical check up and the health status will be confirmed during check in. After fasting for a minimum of 10 hours overnight, each subject will be administered a single dose of TRF or Gamma-Delta after taking a standardized high-fat meal breakfast on Day 1. Thereafter, standard meals will be provided at 4 and 12 hours after dosing. Blood samples (5mL will be taken using an in-dwelling canula placed in the antecubital vein immediately before and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, and 24 hours after dosing. Subjects will be admitted for 24 hours and discharged after the last blood sampling. During the study, blood pressure and the heart rate will be monitored regularly for safety profile.
After a one week wash out period, subject will return to the ward and be given the other formulation (TRF or GDT) and the same procedures will be repeated. Any adverse events that arise during the treatment will be recorded and followed up till resolution.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|21 Years to 55 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male and female aged 21-55 years old
- Good health
- No allergy to vitamin E/ palm oil
- No past (within 3 months) / current use of dietary supplements containing vitamin E
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of bleeding tendencies or any condition predisposing to bleeding e.g. thrombocytopenia, abnormal liver function, liver disease (e.g. chronic hepatitis), gastrointestinal ulcers
- Candidate for surgery or had undergone surgery in the past 6 months
- Current or past use (last 3 months) of antithrombotic drugs such as antiplatelets (aspirin, ticlopidine), anticoagulants (heparin, warfarin), thrombolytic agents (streptokinase), etc
- Current or past history of cancer
- Pregnant/ breastfeeding women
- Smokers
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Hypercholesterolemia
- Chronic conditions such as uncontrolled hypertension, heart disease (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia), uncontrolled diabetes, HIV infection, or other psychiatric illness/ social situations that might limit adherence to study protocol.
- Unable or unwilling to stop taking vitamins, herbal preparations or nonprescription medications
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01571921
|University Malaya Medical Centre(UMMC)
|Lembah Pantai,, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 59100
|Principal Investigator:
|Nur Aishah Mohd Taib
|University of Malaya
|Responsible Party:
|Puvaneswari Meganathan, Ms, Malaysia Palm Oil Board
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01571921 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|March 26, 2012
|Last Updated:
|September 13, 2016
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Vitamin E
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Protective Agents
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Growth Substances
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 20, 2017


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Shop Smarter, Eat Better
Can we be honest? This is a totally gratuitous piglet, wearing Wellies. We just couldn't resist. (And--oh, yeah--March 1 is National Pig Day.)
Carrot cake, cupcakes, whoopie pies--let's get real, they're all just frosting-delivery devices. So make it gourmet with these easy frosting upgrades from REDBOOK food guru Barbara Chernetz. Start with any basic cream cheese frosting recipe (for Babs's, visit redbookmag.com/frost) and then...
Chocolate-chile: Add melted chocolate and ancho chili powder.
Lime-coconut: Add grated lime zest and shredded coconut.
Bourbon--brown sugar: Substitute dark brown sugar for the usual confectioners' sugar, and add bourbon to taste.
Honey-ginger: Add ground ginger and a squirt of honey.
The 9 Foods Never to Eat


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Gibbons voices support for Encarnacion's ASG resume
OAKLAND -- Edwin Encarnacion has been one of the best hitters in the American League this season, but he could be facing an uphill battle to make the All-Star team.
Encarnacion was a distant fourth at the designated hitter position in fan voting when the final ballot update was released Sunday night. Baltimore's Nelson Cruz was first while Boston's David Ortiz is an early favorite to get voted in by the players.
That would seem to leave Encarnacion's status in the hands of former Toronto manager John Farrell. For his part, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons thinks the numbers warrant a spot on the roster.
"I think it would be a nice honor for him," Gibbons said. "I know it's taxing on those guys, but he's earned that. Both [Encarnacion and Jose Bautista] have earned that."
Encarnacion entered play on Thursday night tied for the Major League lead in home runs with 26. He also led Cruz by one for the most RBIs in the Majors and is hitting .281 with a .370 on-base percentage and .973 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Gregor Chisholm is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, North of the Border, and follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Saturday, June 13, 2009
"The fanboys can be merciless."
Here's what worries me more. In the recent dustup about the BEA bloggers panel and subsequent debate about first- and second-generation bloggers, a-list and b-list bloggers, whether blog tours do any good and what constitutes pay and payola in the book-reviewing blog world, I kept thinking about my favorite Nora Ephron crack, which I will have to paraphrase as I can't find my copy of Crazy Salad. Writing about her experience with a 70s feminist consciousness-raising group, Ephron noted that in its waning days the conversation had devolved into a discussion about how each woman was going to stuff her turkey that Thanksgiving, and that none of the members was even particularly interested in hearing what the other women had to say, they were just impatient for their turn to talk. (Or as Fran Leibowitz put it, "conversation is not the art of listening. It is the art of waiting.") I worry that Internet 2.0 is turning us all into better talkers than listeners--that's what will kill criticism from wherever its source.
65 comments:
- Franki said...
I feel like it is harder with Internet 2.0 to actually follow the conversation and to know when someone is listening, what impacts their thinking, etc. I do a LOT of "listening" and processing others' tweets and blog posts but they don't always show up in my writing. They just become part of my thinking and show up later a little more subtly. Maybe it is a different kind of conversation? Something definitely worth thinking about.
- 10:52 AM, June 13, 2009
just because someone has an opinion and an internet connection does not mean that he or she has to blog. 90% of the kidlitosphere is utter garbage (sturgeon's law).
- 11:10 AM, June 13, 2009
- Mitali Perkins said...
For those who feel voiceless and invisible on the margins, web 2.0 and now 3.0 can be an empowering new way to be heard and seen.
We have to develop a new skill for this emerging media -- discerning which opiners (vs. whiners) have done the research, reading, and reflection required to become a trusted voice.
- 11:11 AM, June 13, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
What's 3.0, Mitali, in a nutshell? (the other thing about the Internet is that it can make us feel old and out of touch so quickly!)
- 11:18 AM, June 13, 2009
- Liz B said...
I think there is a difference between a "review" and discussions. Some online posts are one or the other; sometimes a bit of each. But I wouldn't call every plot synopsis followed by an "I liked/loved/hated it" a review.
That the Internet gives a forum for people to discuss what they love? Excellent. Was the world really so much better when people thought they were alone in their interests?
Ideally, traditional media should recognize that the online community shows that people do want more bookish news -- reviews, analysis, discussion, interviews -- insted of thinking, somehow, that the online discourse is replacing reviews.
- 11:29 AM, June 13, 2009
- Mitali Perkins said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 11:38 AM, June 13, 2009
- Mitali Perkins said...
Web 3.0 is really what you're requesting with this post, Roger.
It's a way to streamline and tailor the massive amount of verbiage on the web so that trusted experts can recommend and review products just for you, according to your tastes. Here's one attempt at a definition.
The folks at Adaptive Blue / Glue (who designed the widget on my site) have an opinion on this, too.
In fact, the geeks and nerds just held an entire conference on the subject.
Those who are more right-brained need to wait a bit. They'll need those skills soon enough, and once the geeks get web 3.0, the talent of excellent reviewing and writing will be recognized and rewarded.
- 11:39 AM, June 13, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
Actually, Mitali, it sounds like the opposite of what I mean, because it increases the self-involvement of the user. (And at this point, anyway, it's reductive: I once bought an opera cd from Amazon and the next time I signed on it had recommended "just for you" a biography of a gay porn star!)
- 12:05 PM, June 13, 2009
- Amy said...
Well, I don't know if criticism is lying on its deathbed, but I have actually found the recent discussions to be very helpful. Once you look past all the emotions, there are some interesting things being said. I don't and hope never feel that I'm past learning.
I hear what you're saying...too much talking. Everyone has an opinion and no one is listening to anyone else. I don't think that's really new though, I think that's as old as mankind, it's just that more and different people are doing it now.
- 3:26 PM, June 13, 2009
- Sara Z. said...
I'm with Roger, here, and it goes to the Fran L. quote. Though I get the joke of it, it's also true that when forced to wait, it's more likely better (or at least some) listening will take place. With all the ways and means now to say one's piece, no one has to wait, and it seems safe to conclude that causes the quality of contemplation and therefore the quality of the conversation to suffer.
How many times have I had an immediate reaction to something only to see that reaction change a few days later when I've had time to give it some deeper thought? A lot. How often do I wait a few days before running off to my blog to post an immediate reaction? Um, not so much. Multiply my behavior across the o'sphere. The nature of traditional journalism at least forces a waiting period during which a different depth and quality of thought can happen.
(Also I agree with Liz B.-there's a place for all the different levels of thought, as long as we don't mistake them for each other.)
- 6:41 PM, June 13, 2009
- Franki said...
I don't know if we are giving enough credit to the readers. I think any reader knows that a Hornbook review means more than any other, but it is always nice to hear what others have to say on a subject--for a variety of reasons. I think the reader is the one who has to figure out who they are going to trust in this new arena. Figuring out who has the real expertise. I don't consider anything I do a "review", more like LIz states--a discussion from my perspective as an elementary teacher who reads lots, uses books all day and has read and used reviews for 20 years. To me, the blog is just like workshops I run--what kind of kid might I hand a book like this to? how might this be used in the classroom.
- 7:19 PM, June 13, 2009
- Amy said...
Well, on the one hand, I can see there's room for mob mentality. Like Amazonfail. On the other hand, those sorts of things HAVE ALWAYS HAPPENED. Salem Witch Trials, etc.
I think this is just a new forum in which the old things that trip us up as humans are showcasing themselves.
I agree with Franki...it's the readers who will decide. And sure sometimes readers choose things that baffle me personally. But I'd rather make room for more voices, let myself be offended, and know that people are finding an engagement around books they'd never had before than go back to a few voices having all the room.
I say what I write are reviews, but truly they are what I call reader reviews. I like writing them, some other people like reading them, and I don't really see why that bothers people.
- 7:42 PM, June 13, 2009
- melanie hope greenberg said...
Hi, I was opposed to blogging for a long time due to inane non conversations and back slapping. I am trying to have an intelligent blog by ONLY discussing my books and book process and interview people directly involved with my books or my publishing lifestyle. I've included the booksellers to participate and some have. I am no renaissance woman. There is just no time to do everything well and would never presume to be anything else but a picture book author and illustrator. I have no plans to review someone else's work on my blog. I spend so much time trying to keep my own books alive and out of the mid list dump heap with enormous data crunching for marketing to the detriment of new creative ventures.
This parallels my frustration that any Tom (movie star), Dick (rock star), or Harry (sports star.... add em on), those with well paying jobs already can take away jobs from people who wish to only do good work as a writer or artist, epsecially so in the picture book world. Truly, I can't compete with those same people in their fields. I don't even want to.
BTW, I just did my first contest and I do not think it's worth the efforts. Hardly anyone participated. Out of 2000 emails and other blog plugs less than 10 responses. My own friends did not show up for my huge exhibition that was free at Brooklyn Central Library, an important show that was up for three months. I do not know what to do anymore since there seems to be this problem with information overload. I think people are mostly tuned out.
Listening is an act of self effort, we live in times when people expect everything is done "for" them.
- 8:34 PM, June 13, 2009
- Debbie Reese said...
In print format, I would never be able to compete with Horn Book. Blogging, though, lets me write about books with American Indian content, unedited. I value the relationships I have with Roger and others in the reviewing field, but doing my own thing... Can't be beat! The work I do still doesn't hold much of a candle to what Horn Book and SLJ, Kirkus, etc. do, but it is does, I think, make a difference.
- 10:05 PM, June 13, 2009
Amy writes: "Well, on the one hand, I can see there's room for mob mentality. Like Amazonfail. On the other hand, those sorts of things HAVE ALWAYS HAPPENED. Salem Witch Trials, etc."
Is this meant to be reassuring?
- 1:18 AM, June 14, 2009
- Amy said...
John...lol! Not reassuring so much as simply pointing out that the idea that the internet has made people less prone to listen to each other and be less patient doesn't ring true to me. It's a condition of mandkind, not something newly evolving.
- 1:49 AM, June 14, 2009
- Debbie Reese said...
Has anyone blogged "the dustup about the BEA bloggers panel" --- I'd like to know more about it.
- 7:36 AM, June 14, 2009
I find the blogs to be good for "buzz" on books that I then may want to consider further--often by going to the traditional professional reviews.
Most bloggers have a "day job," and it shows, for better and for worse. Their perspectives are useful, but in no way devalue the considered opinions from groups of seasoned veterans who are able to work with more depth and perspective.
People know that all reviews are not created equal. What you do at Horn Book is being supplemented, not superseded.
...and if you're worried about listening vs. waiting to speak, maybe it is possible to check the ratio of hits to blogs vs. the number of children's literature bloggers. That sort of info. is available, isn't it? I'm betting there's more reading than writing going on. One could also check how many people subscribe to say, the childlit listserve versus the number who regularly post. I'm betting there's way more lurking than posting going on. Those numbers wouldn't give a complete picture, but would give some perspective. Maybe there's a graduate paper in there for somebody...
Hoping to communicate clearly through my Sunday morning fog...
- 1:02 PM, June 14, 2009
- Brigid said...
I agree that readers can sort the wheat from the chaff. Good reviewers will rise to the top and get links, respect, and citations.
I do a lot of writing about comics, and in that field there really is a place for reviewers who give a plot summary followed by "I liked it," because people are keeping abreast of episodic series. That audience was not really served before.
But for those interested in more mainstream reviews, don't discount the importance of portals and gatekeepers. I do a lot of linkblogging, and part of what I do is sift through the reviews and highlight the better writers. Thoughtful reviews will get a link; rants and summaries won't. In addition, by gathering most of what is being written about a specific type of book in a single place, I save the reader a lot of clicking around and bring more readers to lesser-known sites.
- 2:10 PM, June 14, 2009
I dunno, Brigid. I haven't seen real signs that cream rises. Sometimes, I think I see it, but it's an illusion. I understand from a post on Chasing Ray, by Colleen Mondor, that she was unhappy with the BEA panel discussion about bloggers, partly because she didn't recognize any of them, and they didn't seem to know her. Can there be two huge non-overlapping communities of book bloggers? Maybe. Every time I begin to think I have an idea of the hierarchy of the web-- the web turns out to be a whole lot bigger than I thought it was. I find that I have been overvaluing the fish in what turns out to be a small pond.
- 4:26 PM, June 14, 2009
- Colleen said...
I never said I expected to be recognized by anyone on the panel or elsewhere. My complaint was always with how the panel was advertised and how I do not think any single panel could ever be representative of the lit blogosphere in general - it's just too big. That's what I wrote and that's what I reiterated repeatedly in the conversation that followed my post.
- 11:25 PM, June 14, 2009
- Tasses said...
For me, blogging began as a way to chronicle the books I was reading and search for my place within my profession. I've 'met' many great Kidlitosphere folks that I'd have otherwise never heard of (even though my feed reader moans at the thought). Thus, I've actually become both more a writer (talker) and a reader (listener) since I began blogging about my love of books.
- 1:39 AM, June 15, 2009
Colleen, I didn't meant to push your buttons. My point was not too different from yours. I would have thought that any panel organized to talk about blogging books would have heard of you, and yet-- there appeared to be a whole community of people who hadn't-- and hadn't heard of other people that I think of as big names.
I get the impression that we poke around on the internet like blind men, or like early fossil hunters collecting interesting specimens and we arrange them around ourselves and order them by importance to ourselves. We make our blogrolls and we think "this is the internet, here on my dining room table." I find it easy to forget how ego-centric it is. I fool myself, first by organizing things around me, and then by thinking I am the center of the universe. Do you see what I mean?
I'd like a non-ego-centric way to approach the web, a more objective way to have information sorted. As an explorer paddling around in the shallows of the info ocean, I'm looking for how to map things.
- 5:53 AM, June 15, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
It also may be that print and blog reviewing might be speaking to different audiences, especially in children's books. The audience for the Horn Book, SLJ, etc., has always been institutions--people who buy books for children not their own. I am not sure that the blog reviews have captured parents--the coverage by the blogs and the needs of individual parents are too random to meet more than coincidentally--but they do reach adult fans in a way that the institutional reviews do not. But are those adult fans in the main other bloggers? I don't know--somebody needs to study the lurkers!
- 7:16 AM, June 15, 2009
I think bloggers absolutely reach parents -- a lot of the kidlit bloggers ARE parents: smart stay-at-home moms who have strong opinions about the books their kids are reading.
As for Horn Book reviews being more valuable than blog reviews, that's nonsense. I'm much more likely to pay attention to reviews by Betsy Bird and Debbie Reese, for example, than I am some a print source for four reasons: (1) they're easily accessible; (2) they're CURRENT (Betsy reviews faster than anyone else); (3) I feel like I "know" the bloggers and understand where they're coming from. They have clear points of view -- and in Debbie's case, it's a point of view I don't see anywhere else; and (4) they're CRITICAL. They actually express opinions. Most print reviews today are sterile plot descriptions.
When are the print review journals going to start reviewing through blogs? You can still sell advertising space and would probably get many more readers as a result.
- 9:44 AM, June 15, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
Who said the Horn Book reviews are more valuable? In the sense that they generate income, sure, but that's the only claim I would make in contrasting print v. pixels.
The problem with blog reviews serving parents is that you never know what blog is going to review what when. (There is little advantage to a parent reading a review of, say, Catching Fire, now, as the book won't be available until the fall.) If, for example, a parent wants to purchase a book as a gift for a five-year-old in time for a party later the same week, blogs are going to be the least efficient source of reviews. The blogs that review a book a day often provide thoughtful reviews but they are kind of floating untethered, random information that may or may not be seen by the person who needs it.
- 10:14 AM, June 15, 2009
As a parent, I'm with you. The blogs are very little help in finding new reads for my kids. As you say, the books reviewed in blogs aren't out yet, and by the time they appear in the library--where we get our books--I've forgotten the titles. Occasionally, some lovely librarian faces out a book and I remember that I saw it reviewed last year on bookshelvesofdoom, but that's rare. I keep meaning to approach the web more efficiently and keep a TBR, update it regularly, and remember to cross-reference with the library catalog, but I never do. I just enjoy the chatter.
However, as little use I get from the blog reviews, that's more than I ever got from print reviews. I don't subscribe to the Horn Book and didn't read the reviews in any papers when they had them. Too much noise to signal. I don't need your broad spectrum of reviews, I just need books for my thirteen year old and he's already read most of the ones you recommended anyway. Too broad, not deep enough for my needs--that's my frustrated experience of reviewing so far.
Reviews lead me to books for myself, not for my kids.
- 10:40 AM, June 15, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
Much as we would love every book-loving parent in America to subscribe to the HB, unkpinsh is right--in order to serve the needs of our primary audience (librarians with an academic as well as professional background in children's lit) we provide both TMI and NEI for general readers. We do have this new e-newsletter (Notes from the Horn Book) which is directed at nonprofessionals about new books for kids; it has been very successful even as I'm not sure just with what audience.
- 10:53 AM, June 15, 2009
one problem with blogging (which presumably does not bother anyone who is reading this): the slovenly and ungrammatical language. HB and other periodicals have PROOFREADERS and their reviewers have experienced the strictures of book publication and learned how to express themselves clearly and gracefully. Bloggers just sound off, confident that their opinions deserve attention since they (the opinions) are THEIRS.
Also the bloggers are longwinded - as am I
- 10:53 AM, June 15, 2009
Me, I think that the proliferation of blogs speeds up the "X minutes of fame" process for a book. A lot of good, quiet books get lost because everyone is raving about the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES or whatever the Hot New Thing is. There are also too many Teapot Tempests, which is the nature of the internet.
I take print journals more seriously (in their print and online iterations) because I know that those reviews have gone through a serious vetting process.
I am not as apt to turn to some "smart stay-at-home moms who have strong opinions about the books their kids are reading." (Unless those moms are professional reviewers, as above.) All a blogger has to do is hit the "publish" button.
And how can I trust said blogger to be objective? How do I know that this person isn't friends with the author? Or is afraid of offending them?
- 11:04 AM, June 15, 2009
- KATE COOMBS said...
As a fairly new self-appointed children's book reviewer, I find this discussion really applicable, both fascinating and mildly troubling. Let it be known that I do take the Horn Book Magazine! What I've found out about blogging and the specific group, Kidlitosphere, is that blogging is a LOT of work. I can just manage to post once a week, write my own books, and keep up with my day job. My point being, the people blogging about children's books that I've encountered (1) are really in love with children's books and (2) are quite serious about this as a group, or they wouldn't go to so much trouble. Many of them are librarians. Like me, they've read hundreds and even thousands of children's books over the years--which means they are often less amateurish than one might think. I suspect the Horn Book and other professional reviewers are ultimately derived from the same talent pool. (And in the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group, we have long discussions about issues such as negative reviews and posting disclaimers if we know an author personally.)
- 11:45 AM, June 15, 2009
- melanie hope greenberg said...
Take it from someone who meets lots of kids and their parents in the schools and at book signings, besides the publishing parents, most parents hardly have a clue that our books even get reviewed. Many inner city kids' homes are without internet. So, for a book to fall into a child's hands takes a teacher, librarian or some other adult to buy them the book. The mommy blogs are helpful to getting your book known by the paying audience. Truthfully, on my budget I am using the library. I need the hardback retail book price to eat and try to create new book projects. Author to author blogs may educate us but the mommies are buying the books.
Re marketing EG if Nike sneakers are advertised 24/7 that is what the parent will buy because it is drummed into their heads. They also think that is what's only available. Do you think they are out exploring New Balance or some lesser known better brand? Hardly.
- 11:52 AM, June 15, 2009
I haven't fully read the Times piece yet but I suspect that it gets at a certain anti-intellectualism at work in this country that's exacerbated in the children's book world. Anyone with an advanced degree after his or her name and/or (gasp!) doesn't have children of their own invariably has to go up against "Well, my daughter loved it."
Little Suzy and Johnny's opinions tend to trump all in the blogging world. They're our equivalent of the fanboys.
- 12:16 PM, June 15, 2009
"My point being, the people blogging about children's books that I've encountered (1) are really in love with children's books and (2) are quite serious about this as a group, or they wouldn't go to so much trouble."
Yes, maybe, and/or they are serious about liking the idea of an audience for their opinion. Ego and a love of the sound of one's own voice can be the engine of great effort, with or without love or seriousness of purpose.
- 3:12 PM, June 15, 2009
- Tasses said...
Oh, I'll be the first to admit that my blogs are somewhat an ego boosting effort, but I'm also trying to put forth my best face.
If it's a BUNCH of noise, and I'm shouting along with every other kid lit lover/professional, I'll still be stopping for an occasional listen to the noise.
And this, with apologies, is what makes Mr. Sutton's worry a non-worry. Lots of fish, lots of fishermen. Bad analogy, but I'm late with four reviews!
- 4:34 PM, June 15, 2009
I think my comment got eaten. I was agreeing with Anon 11:04 who said that everything seems to have a briefer and briefer moment in the sun. And you would think that the World Wide Web would have plenty of room for everything, but all the reviewers seem to review the same five books.
I can't work up any anxiety however, about payola, though I have heard concerns raised elsewhere about reviewers who might sell their integrity for shiny ARCs. Print reviews come few and far between, so their reviewers take months, or years, to build a reputation, or they have to make their reputation with every review. Bloggers post every day and I can scan back through their posts any time I like. I can see whether they consistently recommend books that I have liked . . . or not. If they have, I don't care if they are in HarperCollins pocket, or even on their payroll. It's true that if a blogger has been squeeing for weeks about a meeting with Shannon Hale or Holly Black and then reviews one of their books, I might cross-reference to any one of the three hundred reviews on the same subject. That's what nice about bloggers . . . you know what to take with a grain of salt.
- 5:15 PM, June 15, 2009
I think that the current wave of "Just Like Me"-ism that underscored the rise of Sarah Palin ("I'm voting for her because she's just like me! I can relate to her!") is also at work here, in the backlash against professional criticism.
Anyone who comes from a highly informed background (years of study or professional status, advanced degree), in essence, has the power to make the masses feel bad for their taste. Don't like the latest wildly popular, crappily illustrated picture book best seller? You're "elitist."
But not "Mom Blogger" -- she's just like you!
Without knowing who exactly reads which blogs, this may be going to far (and certainly some mom bloggers have good taste).
However, I do believe that more and more the masses are looking for some sort of personal mirroring in their "critics" rather than being thankful that, well, someone with a lot of knowledge combed through hundreds of books (or movies or CDs) a year, each year, so that they could provide you with the best information possible.
The most hilarious example of "Just Like Me"-ism I saw recently was a letter to the editor in a running magazine in which the author complained about the use of top American marathoner Kara Goucher as a cover model because she "couldn't relate to her." Bring out the tubby 5:30 marathoners!
- 6:47 PM, June 15, 2009
- Cheryl said...
Jeez, Anonymous @ 3:12 p.m.:
>> Ego and a love of the sound of one's own voice can be the engine of great effort, with or without love or seriousness of purpose. <<
Even driving one to leave anonymous comments on blogs, perhaps? Which don't require much time or any responsibility?
- 11:59 PM, June 15, 2009
Oh, I dunno Cheryl, I like to hear from Anonymous Curmudgeon every once in a while. I even like the occasional visit from her brother, Anonymous Spelling Troll. They keep it real.
- 7:09 AM, June 16, 2009
- Franki said...
I think that the one thing missing in this conversation is the idea of writing as an act of reflection and learning. For me, writing helps me be a more reflective teacher and hearing others' responses to my writing pushes my thinking. It isn't really about audience or credibility but writing as a thinking process. Blogs provide a good forum for people who write as part of their daily lives.
- 7:15 AM, June 16, 2009
The other thing about blogging that deserves mention: if you don't like it, no one is making you read it.
What I also find interesting -- and this is off topic -- are the many authors who are now told flat-out that they should blog. What if they don't have anything they want to say? What if they would rather reserve their creative energy for their actual writing?
I would rather read a new book from an author I admire than some blog about what s/he ate or is reading or watching on TV, or his/her advice on writing, or whatever.
- 8:01 AM, June 16, 2009
- jimmyprell said...
Great discussion. Roger has a gift for stirring the pot, a natural-born blogger. Given the scope of this conversation, just a buckshot approach:
* A lot has been said recently about the integrity of bloggers, the "payola" factor, but hasn't that been going on with print media for decades? Publishers are called upon to BUY advertising. And with the advertising they hope to reap the reward of getting books reviewed. To not purchase expensive advertising is seen as a risk. From what I know: Even if a publisher would like to tell, say, Kirkus to take a walk, they are too frightened to do it. So they buy the advertising and play the game.
* Franki is correct -- almost always, as a rule -- about giving readers more credit. Even on Amazon, there's that deal where you check whether the review was helpful or not. We, as readers, have to consider the source.
* I don't think anyone can legitimately make wide, sweeping comments about "bloggers" or the "kidlitosphere," a phrase I dislike. One issue that I touched upon today in a blog: Can an author "review" another author's book? In the sense that a cynical reading could see it all as back-slapping, sycophantical BS. Again, the answer: Consider the source.
* The future of the information age, I think, will show a greater emphasis on gatekeepers, processors, trusted editors who help readers find "the good stuff." That is, we'll need more filters. As just like the idealism we need every time we start a book, we all have to believe that quality work will be rewarded. And I still believe that, very much, though the definition of "rewarded" is open-ended.
Thanks for listening.
James Preller
- 10:58 AM, June 16, 2009
I get most of my book lists from blogs because a lot of "professional" review places tend to be very snotty and snarky now, and the reviews are becoming more emotional than informative. (I read several SLJ reviews in the last year that didn't actually review the book at all, and instead pushed a personal agenda about "bad" language or "inappropriate" content in YA lit. I feel these reviews ruin the objective good name of their publication.) I know many who no longer trust anonymous review standards. Kirkus, for example, has become a joke, now. If I see more censorship-agenda reviews in SLJ, I will also stop trusting them.
That said, I also find a lot of lazy & emotional reviewing on many blogs. But it's a good way to weed out the fluff. Whenever I see an expectation-whiny review ("My expectations were high or different...and so, I was disappointed") I stop visiting that blog, because I feel those sorts of reviewers lack the maturity to review a book well.
Now, I read maybe five book blogs to get my reading/ordering lists, and so far, they have not let me down.
- 11:26 AM, June 16, 2009
- King Rat said...
All the naysayers have convinced me! I now realize that my lack of training, lack of paid gigs, lack of professionalism, lack of following prescribed format, and lack of editor are all reasons that I should just shut up and never write anything on the internet about books again without approval from my betters. I'm just harming all the hardworking authors and reviewers who didn't sign up to have me play in their playground.
- 11:59 AM, June 16, 2009
I perceive your sarcasm and know nothing of your blog, King Rat, so don't take it personally ... but lack of professionalism is reason enough not to blog about someone else's (professional) work, never mind all the others you name.
- 12:16 PM, June 16, 2009
That response was a touch ad hominem, don't you think? And I thought I was being self-effacing in my anonymity, not irresponsible, but take it as you will. Anyway, my point was just that at some level ego (mine too, sure) is part of the desire to be published, online or elsewhere, and that just because someone makes the time and effort to do something, that doesn't automatically make the results rewarding. By all means everyone has a right to blog, and more power to them, but the rest of us have a right to read critically.
- 12:34 PM, June 16, 2009
- King Rat said...
Ah, but here we get to the crux of the matter: who defines professionalism? is there a perfect form of a mythical professionalism object in the plane of forms that we all imitate? I doubt it, though I'm no great philosopher.
If a professional (an author) creates something for a non-professional (a reader), why is it so illegitimate for the non-professional to have an opinion about what was ostensibly created for them? I agreed to no contract whatsoever when I bought and read this book. So of course I'm going to talk about it even if my work doesn't meet someone else's definition of professionalism. Particularly if the work doesn't meet my standards of professionalism.
As to the second anon comment after mine on quality: sure there are different levels of quality. Readers should discriminate based on whatever merits they find important. Personally, I think a lot of book blogs are fawning messes of junk. They don't work for me. But... lots of people really like what those blogs are doing, particularly the bloggers themselves. I say more power to them (even though I'll pick apart the things that don't work for me because I'm a cranky guy on the internet).
The problem with these discussions is that inevitably the groupmind of commenters turns to trying to figure out what the plane of forms version of a legitimate/professional/whatever review is. And then the 2 to 34 sides of the polygon get to talking past each other trying to impose their view of what the ONE TRUE method of reviewing should be.
There is no one ring.
This is the same argument as the religious argument over what sins are right/wrong according to which religion. And who has picked the right god and who has picked the wrong one. When the discussion is framed the way this discussion (I don't mean this post, but instead the whole post-BEA flame war thing) has been framed, the results are exactly the same as such religious discussions go.
- 1:58 PM, June 16, 2009
"If a professional (an author) creates something for a non-professional (a reader), why is it so illegitimate for the non-professional to have an opinion about what was ostensibly created for them?"
You're setting up straw men and knocking them down, K. Rat. There's plenty to gripe about regarding the blogosphere, but nobody's saying it's illegitimate for you to have an opinion. Breathe easy!
- 3:11 PM, June 16, 2009
Professionalism is very easily defined in print journalism -- and criticism in particular. Almost all of the national and local critics' societies for film, books, etc. uphold rigorous standards for acceptance. Potential members submit work sometimes multiple times to get in.
Funny, because children's books are more ruled by the librarians, we don't have such a thing. (Grown-up book critics have several organizations.) I don't know much about the Cybils -- are they voted on by a select committee of bloggers deemed more "professional" than others? Or does anyone with a blog weigh in?
Tell me this, King Rat, were there a "National Society for Children's Book Critics," would you apply? Would you feel your work is good enough?
Likewise, if there were no Internet at all, do you think that you'd be reviewing for the Horn Book or the New York Times Book Review instead? Why not apply now? Do you think someone would pay you for your insight into children's books and your ability to articulate it?
Oh, I know, you review because you want a "community" and like "expressing yourself."
However, if you were a weekend watercolorist (and a so-so one at that), would you expect your work to hang at a local/national/international gallery where you could interact with the art "community" and share your "self-expressions"? Unless you were deluded, probably not. I'm always perplexed at why people think their writing deserves an audience more so than their other artistic pursuits -- all demand practice and craft.
And anyone who thinks that blogging isn't affecting the pay rates of "hardworking" "professional" writers, go check out the rates for online writing in the jobs section of your local Craigslist. Five dollars (or less) for articles of 500 words or more. (National magazines pay $2 a word; newspapers, 25 cents a word and up).
Will it come to a point that, without the "professional" standards of print outlets and a select few online sites and the pay scales that go with them, the only people writing will be those looking to "express themselves" to their "community"?
If that's the case, then I'm retreating to an age-old pastime for expressing myself. You may remember it. It's called "writing in a journal."
- 3:31 PM, June 16, 2009
- KATE COOMBS said...
I'm guessing the truth lies somewhere between shameless intellectual elitism and sheep-like online populism. Face it: some of the bloggers' reviews are excellent, and some are garbage. But let's not kid ourselves that being a professional reviewer means that every word one writes is golden. In any profession, some are better than others. I've read professional reviews that were really solid and some that were truly brilliant, but every so often a professional review falls short of perfection. Even in the Horn Book magazine!
- 8:27 PM, June 16, 2009
- Amy said...
Dear Anon at 3:31,
Huh? Okay I'm admittedly a blogger and there are probably some who have commented that think my blog is a pile of crap. That's fine, don't read.
But I do care about books. And I don't necessarily think that trying to stifle the conversation around books that happens on the internet is the best way to promote them, in favor of paid reviewers and certain standards. It sucks that reviewers are getting paid less, but how cool that people who have other jobs that maybe they don't love as much can have an outlet to talk about something they do love? I have heard over and over that book blogs have increased the amount of time people spend reading, helped them to discover new writers and genres and filled a void for community around books that wasn't there. That's love for books. That's love for reading, that matters.
While I can understand artistic merit and craft, I think that books have more power than that. A beautifully written and well crafted book can fail to move someone, while another book perhaps less favorably reviewed connects with a person at the right time. How often have we heard stores about how books like Twilight and Harry Potter got kids interested in reading? And the internet was powerful in creating strong communities around both of those series.
It's an unpopular viewpoint, but it's one I hold....ultimately a book's value is determined by its reader and the internet has given people a chance to discover and hear about more books than they might have previously. More chances to let books impact their lives.
I respect critical reviews and I'm thankful for them, but please defend your art without disparaging what others are doing.
- 8:56 PM, June 16, 2009
Anon 3:31 here ...
I'm not saying that no one should blog or talk about books, and we should close the Internet down! All I was doing was responding to King Rat's assertion that there are no definitions of professionalism in criticism. There are, and, for now anyway, they are way more clearly defined in print media. (There are actually even Pulitzer Prizes for Criticism.)
And I'm not saying that all print reviews are superior. If you want someone to rag on SLJ, I'm your girl.
I do agree, though, with the sentiments in the original post that one day soon online critics who know that their writing wouldn't cut it in the New York Times Book Review (as a couple here seem to admit) will likely be given equal standing by publishers because it will be easy and beneficial for the publishers to do so. Is that fair? And will you take it?
- 10:00 PM, June 16, 2009
- Susan said...
Bah! How awful is it to discover a zillion people want books, read books, love books, want to opine about books? It's fabulous! And I would think most people who love books can tell which is a decent review or a I'm best friends with this writer type review. And if not, come ask me - I'm a children's librarian trained to help you - plus I have secret Ninja skills.
- 11:48 PM, June 16, 2009
There is always talk about "the love of books." I'd like to meet the person who loved books so much that they decided that they wouldn't put up yet another blog that talks about the same books in the same way as everyone else's blog and instead decided to use the time to do something else to get kids reading.
- 12:37 AM, June 17, 2009
- Gregory K. said...
Sigh. My comment a few days ago never posted - consider it a letter to the editor unprinted! However, I wanted to pick up on something Mitali Perkins said - the internet lets the marginalized and previously silenced be heard in a way that was never possible before. So if good criticism is dependent on listening, then the quality of criticism should, in fact, improve as divergent, new voices enter the conversations.
Of course, listening is a choice, and some people don't make it... whether they're in the blogosphere or not.
As for reviews (more specifically than criticism)... trusted sources exist online as much as they do in print. And frankly, when I'm buying books for myself, if there's a reviewer whose opinions tend to match mine over time, I truly don't care if they have a PhD, a Horn Book column, or if they are a chicken farmer in Peru. If they become a trusted source, it's because they've earned it. As EBay has proven, reputation online DOES matter, just as it does off. Readers are smart enough to keep from being fooled time and again.
- 12:56 AM, June 17, 2009
- KATE COOMBS said...
I do that in my day job--I have managed to turn some non-readers into readers, and I have also, for example, taught an illiterate 18-year-old how to read. Key bloggers such as Jen Robinson participate in and spread the word about literacy efforts on a regular basis. So yes, loving books and talking about them can in fact inspire action. I can't help but feel that blogging about books in a society that increasingly devalues literature is a cultural plus! As for "sameness," I've seen a lot of individuality out there in the ways different bloggers discuss books. I'm kind of shaking my head, wondering what the downside is. We should wear the title of bibliophile with pride, and book blogging is just one symptom.
- 12:59 AM, June 17, 2009
- Susan said...
Geez, would blogging about books be the reason those darn kids ain't reading?
Does rhapsodizing or criticizing books on a personal blog make someone a bad guy? Imagine! Not running out there and changing the world but typing their little thoughts on the computer...the nerve! Why we shouldn't even be typing here - or reading this! I am a slacker, a sinner, right this second! I am so ashamed.
- 1:14 AM, June 17, 2009
- Amy said...
Hi Pat!
Since I feel that comment was directed towards me (since I mentioned love of books), let me respond.
I work in adult literacy. 8 hours a day, five days a week. It requires a patience I don't always have and most of the people that surround me day in and day out don't like books.
So for me, yes it's fun (and a lot of work, but a better kind) to have a book blog and while I don't intentionally talk about the same books as everyone else I do read what I WANT to read and so sometimes that might be the same as others.
As far as getting kids to read (by the way, not really a kitlit blogger), well I've been trying to figure out how to work that into my life and my blog more. I do really care about it, very much so after working with adults.
- 1:22 AM, June 17, 2009
Hi Amy,
Actually, no, i wasn't thinking of you in particular. Just that I always see the phrase "love of books" and "community" come up as reason for blogging. I have nothing against it, really, and you and the others who responded are obviously extremely committed.
I just see so many blogs with no comments in the comments section or the same five people responding but then hear people sound very confident on this and other forums of all the good blogs are doing in terms of raising awareness for books and reading. It was curiosity more than anything ...
Maybe I'm reading the wrong ones, but I do see a certain sameness of coverage and opinions yet couched in a variety of voices. I certainly don't think they're doing any harm.
They do seem time-consuming and hard to measure in terms of effectiveness, unlike the work you're doing one on one. I will, however, check out Jen's blog.
- 2:44 AM, June 17, 2009
- Colleen said...
A lot of it is about making connections which then turn around and help real kids or adults in a big way. See the support the Readergirlz have received across the kidlitosphere and the good they have done for teens not only in their monthly projects with their regular teen readers but also through the Teen Book Drop where they spearhead an effort to donate thousands of books a year from pubs to teens in children's hospitals.
Or there's the Book Fair for Boys that I spearheaded with InsideOut Writers in LA County just a couple of months ago. We spread the word across the lit blogosphere through connections I had made solely through blogging and everyone picked it up and thus far we have about 500 books for the boy incarcerated in the LA Country juvenile system - boys who had no library prior to this.
I bet you would find hundreds if not thousands of individual projects among lit/book bloggers to help people read or get books in the hands of those who do not have them. We don't always post about it, but we're doing it and working on more ways to do it better all the time.
It's who we are - and it's a big part of why we are in the lit blogosphere in the first place.
- 3:52 AM, June 17, 2009
- Susan T. said...
After Katrina, Colleen also organized a book drive for children in an after-school program at a temporary shelter. I know many bloggers and others sent along books for the kids.
- 9:05 AM, June 17, 2009
I agree with Roger....and I also think that most reviews in kids lit are further compromised by no one wanting to offend anyone else. This often leads to insincere praise, of blogs and books. Frankly, I find most kids lit blogs boring and poorly written. Authors' blogs are often -- not always, but often -- attempts to promote their own books. Comments are often equally self-serving (other authors commenting hoping people will hear about THEIR books).
As for blog reviews, they seem like a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours club. I no longer read ANY reviews on blogs. I did at one time, though - and found Fuse8 particularly annoying: full of herself, long-winded, and far too subjective to be helpful.
- 8:33 AM, June 29, 2009
- Roger Sutton said...
And the flip side of self-promotional back-scratching is anonymous back-stabbing. Is that really any different?
- 9:59 AM, June 29, 2009
- Sondra Eklund said...
I think of my reviews' purpose as the same reason I started my e-mail newsletter in 2000 -- to remember to tell my friends about all the great books I was reading.
Over the years, the newsletter has evolved into a blog. I have officially become a children's librarian. I still read and love Horn Book Magazine for giving me notice of great books I should read.
I've never thought that my opinion was especially important. However, for readers who happen to enjoy the same sorts of books as I do, let me tell you about some of the wonderful books I've read lately! The cool part is that I've made some friends over the years simply because we seem to be kindred spirits in what we like to read.
I have to admit that I do enjoy learning that I'm getting more and more readers. I think people find blogs written by people whose opinions they value and writing they like (like Fuse8!) and read those. It's not a substitute for professional journals, but is a nice supplement.
- 5:54 PM, July 06, 2009
(from anonymous 6/29)
There is this difference: I believe what I wrote is true and it's definitely how I feel. That is not always the case when it comes to the back-scratching.
- 6:39 AM, July 07, 2009


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Topic: Hey I'm back in the Good News category
Hi all,
As you may recall, a PET/CT in early June showed sudden, rapid, and expansive metasasis of my cancer. Since then, I've received four rounds of FOLFOX and 10 days of radiation on my spine and sternum. It's too early to judge the effectiveness of the radiation, but a new CT showed bone lesions as stable, shrinkage of the three lesions in the liver and two in the peritoneum, and shrinkage of the multiple enlarged lymph nodes. I also have significantly decreased bone pain, and less abdominal swelling. Every part of the report represented improvement. So we will continue with this treatment as long as it continues to have palliative effect.
My wife and stepsons, who bore the emotional burden of seeing my health decline so quickly just a few months ago, are very relieved to see me feeling better, and for that I am most grateful to the physicians who are fighting for me.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts and good wishes.


text:
York opens it doors for the first time today in 2014 for the opening round of the three-day Dante Festival - and mud-lovers will be in their element.
Although warm and sunny weather is forecast, the monsoon-like rain showers of recent days have turned the ground soft, which is just the sort of surface ideally suited to Irish raider Maarek as he bids to clinch the £100,000 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes, the most valuable race on the card.
Trained by Evanna McCutcheon, Maarek has won almost £600,00 in a memorable sprinting career, which has produced multiple successes in Pattern race company, including the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbeye at Longchamp last October.
Two outings last month including a most recent run at Naas, where he finished second in Listed company, should have helped bring Maarek to concert pitch for this Group 2 showpiece, which has attracted a field of both quantity and quality, including Kevin Ryan's Astaire, who reverts to sprinting after a fifth-placed effort in the Greenham Stakes - a Classic trial - at Newbury last month. Astaire won the Gimcrack Stakes on this course last year before following-up in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
It is, though, a tough ask for three-year-olds against older horses at this time of the year and the seven-year-old Maarek is preferred, despite the fact that he has to concede weight to every one of his rivals. The soft ground will make him hard to beat under Declan McDonagh.
The Tattersalls Musidora Stakes is the other feature race on the programme and this Group 2 contest, a traditional stepping stone to the Oaks, looks a very tricky race to solve.
Cambridge and Madame Chiang, both winners of their only outing, and Queen Of Ice is unbeaten in two starts, while the Queen's twice-raced Shama looked good when getting off the mark at Lingfield last month. Any of that quartet could prove to be extra-smart, while North Yorkshire runners, Lily Rules, Latenightrequest and Lady Heidi have gained more experience and have proved themselves more than capable.
My tentative idea of the winner is Queen Of Ice, trained by William Haggas, pictured, for Cheveley Park Stud, who has impressed with her wins at Newmarket and Kempton.
Sir Michael Stoute, trained of Shama, could still make his presence felt. He saddles Rye House in the opening StanJames.com Handicap and Ryan Moore's mount was a winner at this meeting last year. He was not seen out again and now lines-up off a 10lb higher mark, but he handles soft ground and, as he showed 12 months ago, he goes well fresh.
Stoute also has an interesting runner in the Conundrum HR Consulting Handicap in Idea, a Windsor winner last autumn, who starts his handicap career off a handy-looking mark of 79.
It would be disappointing if North Yorkshire trainers do not make an impact at their local course and there is certainly no shortage of runners from local stables.
Among those with leading claims are Mick Easterby's mud-loving Aetna (2.15) and Richard Fahey's precocious Winstanley (4.25), who receives a handy 7lb from four of his five rivals, who already have winning form in the juvenile contest. That could be enough to sway the race in his favour.
Fahey also saddles the nap selection, Gabrial's Star (5.00), who, like Winstanley, will have the benefit of Ryan Moore as he aims to follow-up last week's win at Chester. Significantly, that success was achieved in an apprentices' race, which means Gabrial's Star enters this showdown without a penalty.
York today
1.45 Rye House, 2.15 Aetna, 2.45 Queen Of Ice, 3.15 Maarek, 3.50 Idea, 4.25 Winstanley, 5.00 Gabrial's Star (NAP).
Chepstow today
5.25 Be Bold, 5.55 Bold Runner, 6.25 Stockhill Diva, 6.55 Yankee Red, 7.25 Dream Catcher, 7.55 Sweet Martoni, 8.25 Noor Al Haya.
Today's other meetings: Perth, Uttoxeter and Worcester.
Tomorrow's meetings: Fontwell, Newmarket, Perth, Salisbury and York.


text: been watching from afar on this board, and finally decided to get a profile, im a die hard Pacers/Colts fan, originally from Marion indiana(big zach randolph home city), but live in naptown now, former navy man, 2 years in yokuska japan and 2 years in bremerton WA, looking forward to putting my 2 cents in on pacers discussions, and i do believe we have been getting out coached so far this season, hopefully vogel is aware of this!! lets go Pacers!!!!


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Last Updated on 13 June 2005, Company: EMS Software Development
EMS PostgreSQL Manager is a graphical tool for PostgreSQL administration and development. EMS PostgreSQL Manager allows you to run SQL scripts, visually design databases, manage users and user privileges. With EMS PostgreSQL Manager you will be able to build SQL queries visually, to extract, print and search metadata, to export and import data using most popular file formats, to view and edit BLOB fields, and much more.


text:
Convenient, durable dog ramp easily folds for portability and storage. High-density, lightweight molded plastic designs offer superior strength and stability to support pets up to 200 lbs. Eases access to and from vehicles, homes, patios, decks, and more (not designed for use in swimming pool). Features non-skid rubber feet, a textured top surface, raised edges, stabilizer lip, and security strap for added safety. Both ends fold underneath and can be locked for storage and travel. Safety latch. Great for older, arthritic, or hesitant pets. Perfect for use with your vehicle, decks, and porches. Measures 16" wide x 26-1/2" long x 8" high when folded; 16" wide x 71" long when extended. Weighs 16 lbs. Spray or wipe clean with soap and water. Black with chocolate textured surface.
Downloadable Travel Lite Tri-Fold Pet Ramp Instruction Manual PDF.
Please click on "More Information" for use and cleaning instructions.


text:
I tried this the other day and it was fairly entertaining.
Just go out to play a round and for every drive try to do the opposite of what you usually would, easy BH hyzer hole? throw a FH anny or cut roller, straight putter drive? throw a bullet thumber or spike FH, easy overhand hole? make it there with a roller. etc. as long as you are taking lines/shots on holes that you usually would never do, you are doing it right, who knows? maybe you will find that a line you never thought of may be the best for you, but at very least you will be brushing up on/learning new shots that can really pay off in the right situation.
try it, it's fun


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Possible Cancer, My Options?
I'm on the internet tonight searching for similar cases as my diagnosis. I was originally diagnosed with severe diverticulitis and on heavy antibiotics for 17 days. A follow up colonoscopy was performed and a 1" polyp was discovered and removed. The result was a fragmented discolored tan hemorrhagic tissue that was diagnosed as not cancerous, but advanced precancerous tubulovillous adenoma. The recommendation was to see if the polyp returns in 6 months and then consider the options. Should I consider becoming proactive and aggressive to get ahead of the condition...have a colon resection to remove the diverticulitis area that is healing, but still inflamed; along with removing around this new area? What are the percentages that this will actually become cancer?
The risk of colon cancer in a polyp depends on size and type of polyp. There is 20-25% chance that a tubulovillous adenoma will contain colon cancer in it. The risk of later developing colon cancer from having a history of tubulovillous adenomas is not really known, but it sounds as though you will have continued follow-up and the development of any new polyps will be found at early stages. Colon cancer must come from polyps, so if polyps are removed periodically there isn't much chance of developing colon cancer.
The decision to have a colonic resection for either or both conditions will rest with you and your physician. It is highly unlikely that any surgeon will perform surgery until the inflammation from your diverticulosis is completely resolved; your risk of complications will be very high prior to resolution. Waiting a while seems prudent. Since the margins on the polyp are unknown (was the entire polyp removed?), complete removal should be considered. If you are having a hemicolectomy for diverticulosis then that polyp area will be removed.
If there are cancer cells within that polyp, they are small in number and resection should be the cure, with or without a six month waiting period. The risk of developing a large tumor in your colon should be less than the risk of developing bowel complications from surgery performed in the setting of infection.
Joanna M Brell, MD
Formerly, Assistant Professor of Medicine
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University


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The Online Advocate: Health Related Social Problems And Diet Quality Pilot Study
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
In this study, the investigators will be using The Online Advocate, a Web-based health-related social problems screening and referral tool, to explore the relationship between health-related social problems and children's diet quality among families with young children attending the Children's Hospital Primary Care Center. The Online Advocate consists of a 60-80 question screening survey for health-related social problems (such as food insecurity, employment and income, homelessness) and allows participants to select referrals for local health and social service agencies that might help them with the problems identified through the survey. Layered into The Online Advocate for this study is an adaptation of the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HSFFQ) that can assess children's diet quality. The investigators plan to recruit 350 parent/guardians of otherwise healthy children age 3-10 years who are presenting to the primary care center for routine well child care. Eligible parent/guardians will have the opportunity to take The Online Advocate (plus HSFFQ) on a laptop computer in the waiting area before seeing their pediatrician or healthcare provider. Participants will receive a small incentive for their time as well as written information on healthy nutrition and an age appropriate coloring book for the child. At one month, participants will be contacted by the study team by email or phone and asked follow up questions about the status of their health-related social problems identified through The Online Advocate and whether the referrals they received were helpful. Participants will receive a small incentive for their time, along with a reminder message promoting healthy nutrition for their child. At three months, participants will be contacted by the study team by email or phone and asked follow up questions about the status of their health-related social problems identified through The Online Advocate and whether the referrals they received were helpful. They will also re-take the adapted HSFFQ. Participants will receive another small incentive for their time. Participants will also have the opportunity to re-take The Online Advocate at three months, though this is optional. The investigators believe this pilot study will provide foundational knowledge about the intersection between health-related social problems and children's diet quality and may inform future research studies and interventions.
Our Study Aims are:
- To use The Online Advocate to evaluate the association between health-related social problems and diet quality in children in a cross-sectional sample.
- To evaluate the relationship between resolution of health-related social problems using The Online Advocate and change in diet quality in children over a 3 month period.
Our Study Hypotheses are:
- A greater number of health-related social problems per family will be associated with poorer diet quality in children at baseline.
- After 3 months, families demonstrating resolution of one or more health-related social problems addressed with The Online Advocate will demonstrate greater improvement in diet quality in children.
|Children's Diet Quality Health-related Social Problems
|Other: The Online Advocate
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Screening
|Official Title:
|The Online Advocate: Health Related Social Problems And Diet Quality Pilot Study
- Diet quality [ Time Frame: 3 months ]Diet quality will be assessed using the HEI-2005, Healthy Eating Index, applied to the nutritional data collected using the HSFFQ survey. HEI-2005 provides an overall score (scale 0 to 100) and was developed by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion to assess compliance with dietary guidelines.
- Physical activity [ Time Frame: 3 months ]Physical activity will be assessed using the NHANES survey.
|Study Start Date:
|June 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|August 2012
|Primary Completion Date:
|August 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Experimental: The Online Advocate
Other: The Online Advocate
The Online Advocate is a Web-based social problems screening and referral tool developed at Children's Hospital.Other: The Online Advocate
The Online Advocate is a Web-based screening and referral tool for health-related social problems
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Child age 3 to 10 years
- Child lives with parent/guardian at least 5 days per week
- Parent/guardian must be able to speak and read in English
Exclusion Criteria:
- Child with major, active chronic medical illness (e.g., cancer) or use of prescription medication (e.g., oral steroids) that might influence diet quality
- Prior use of The Online Advocate
- Prior study participation
- Child is first degree relative (e.g., sibling) of current or prior study participant or a family member with lesser degree of relatedness or non-relative who lives in the same household as a current or prior study participant
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01374815
|United States, Massachusetts
|Children's Hospital, Boston
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 01225
|Principal Investigator:
|Joanne E Cox, MD
|Boston Children's Hospital
|Study Director:
|Clement J Bottino, MD
|Boston Children's Hospital
|Principal Investigator:
|Erinn T Rhodes, MD, MPH
|Boston Children's Hospital
|Principal Investigator:
|Eric W Fleegler, MD, MPH
|Boston Children's Hospital
|Responsible Party:
|Clement Bottino, Principal investigator, study coordinator, Children's Hospital Boston
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01374815 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|June 13, 2011
|Last Updated:
|March 4, 2014
Keywords provided by Clement Bottino, Children's Hospital Boston:
Children's diet quality
Health-related social problems
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
State Senator Tony Avella and a long list of Queens park advocates are suing the city to stop a mega mall from coming to Citi Field.
The 1.4 million-square-foot shopping center is part of a major $3 billion project by Sterling Equities and Related Companies to redevelop Willets Point.
The ambitious and controversial plan, approved Oct. 9 by the City Council, also includes the cleanup of 23 acres of contaminated land and the eventual construction of housing units with commercial and retail space.
The group filed the suit Feb. 10 in New York County Supreme Court, saying the project cannot proceed without state Legislature approval under a doctrine that protects state parkland.
The suit also seeks annulments of city approvals.
"It's a serious principle here," Avella said. "If the city is allowed to get away with this, what's to stop them next time? If we keep giving it away, someday we'll wake up and there will be no parks."


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Elvis Tribute Artists to Appear on 'DAVID LETTERMAN' During CBS Elvis Week
Today, Sherry Management, producer of the ElvisFestival.com series of events, announced a giveaway for those who buy tickets for upcoming Elvis festivals around the country, showcasing the five tribute artists appearing as part of Elvis Week Feb. 4-8 on "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS.
Buy tickets to any of the ElvisFestival.com events between now and March 8, 2013, and be entered to win a Memphis Elvis Week Package, including: overnight accommodations from Sun., Aug. 11 - Aug. 18 at the Econo Lodge Downtown Memphis; $500 for transportation; tickets to the Doc Franklin's Original Images of the King Elvis Tribute Artist Contest and Showcase at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street; tickets for two to the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest; and admission for two to Graceland.
"The King of Rock and Roll," who would have turned 78 on Jan. 8, is being honored by five entertainers who were selected as "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists" by Elvis Presley Enterprises. Scheduled to perform are: Cody Ray Slaughter, who is currently in the touring production of "The Million Dollar Quartet," and is the youngest person ever to be named an "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist"; Brandon Bennett, who stars in the Chicago cast of the hit musical "The Million Dollar Quartet" and who also starred in the hit Canadian show "The Elvis Story"; Justin Shandor, who currently portrays Elvis in the touring show "Rock 'n Roll Legends"; Ben Portsmouth, current star of the European "Tribute to Elvis" tour; and Shawn Klush, named BBC Television's "World's Greatest Elvis," who will recreate Elvis's famed Hilton performances at the Las Vegas Elvis Fest during his appearance.
"It's exciting to see top Elvis tribute artists perform on national TV," said Jason Sherry, president of Sherry Management and festival director for ElvisFestival.com. "Now, Elvis fans can see these performers live at one of the ElvisFestival.com events around the country. If you enjoyed their appearances on David Letterman, there's nothing like seeing them perform in person."
Buy tickets online by following the links, visit http://www.elvisfestival.com/ or call 1-888-406-5885 now.
Increase chances of winning by buying tickets to more than one event or by purchasing multiple tickets. Each ticket equates to one chance to win. Individuals who have previously purchased tickets will automatically be entered to win.
Tickets are currently on sale for:
Georgia Elvis Festival, March 14-17, 2013, featuring Cody Slaughter
Lake George Elvis Festival, May 28-June 2, featuring all five tribute artists, plus Bill Cherry, the only Ultimate Winner not appearing on the Late Show
Sao Paulo Elvis Festival, May 1-4, 2013
Tickets Go On sale Feb. 14 for Images of the King Festival in Memphis, TN, Aug. 11-16, featuring Ben Portsmouth
Tickets Go On sale March 5 for the South Carolina Elvis Festival, Sept. 12-15 featuring Shawn Klush and Ben Portsmouth
Tickets Go On sale March 5 for Indiana's Elvis Fantasy Festival, Oct. 11-13, featuring Ben Portsmouth
Additional upcoming ElvisFestival.com events where these tribute artists will be appearing include (tickets not yet on sale):
Las Vegas Elvis Festival, July 11-14, featuring Shawn Klush, Cody Slaughter, Justin Shandor and Ben Portsmouth
Pocono Mountains Elvis Festival, Oct. 25-27, featuring Shawn Klush


text: The Inside Scoop to the Buzz at the Basin Pali's Pitch – May 3, 2012 The Inside Scoop to the Buzz at the Basin WOW… Closing Day Announced! A-Basin will be closing for the season on Sunday, May 6, 2012. Unseasonably warm weather and lack of snowfall has brought the ski season to an early end. This weekend we will have live music on Saturday and Sunday. John Truscelli and the Stolen Band will hit the ticket office steps on Saturday and the Luv Brothers will close out our weekend on Sunday. Music begins at 1:00pm. Arapahoe Sports is offering 50% off EVERYTHING in the retail store through the weekend. Even stickers are 50% off! So head in for a great deal on clothing, gear, hats, posters, headphones and more! A-Basin still plans on holding the inaugural Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, May 19 and Festival of the Brewpubs on May 27, 2012 with free live music in the base area. Find more information about these events below. If you haven't already heard, A-Basin will be hosting some events at the ski area this summer. Events include a trail run and barbeque, wildflower dinner, yoga classes, brunch at Black Mountain Lodge and a Clam Bake. Visit our website for more details. Inaugural Chili Cook-Off - Saturday, May 19th We may not be open for skiing but we're still hosting our first Chili Cook-Off. Join us Saturday, May 19th for a day filled with chili and live music by Great American Taxi featuring Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon. The cook-off will be divided into green and red categories and prizes will be awarded to 1st place overall, 2nd and 3rd for each category and People's Choice winner. Taster's (you) will be given a chance to vote for their favorite chili. The participant with the most beans in their jar will be named People's Choice winner. Tasting begins at 1:00pm and will go until 3:30pm. Pricing: $20 - 15 tastings and 3 beers $3 - 12 oz beer $1 - per taste In their sixth year together, Great American Taxi ft. Vince Herman from Leftover Salmon, has remained one of the best-known headliners on the Americana music scene. Don't miss the rare chance the experience Taxi's signature upbeat, country-bluegrass, rock-infused, Americana-without-borders feel - FOR FREE! Great American Taxi will play on the ticket office steps from 1:00pm - 4:00pm. We hope to see you around! For more details or if you would like to compete in the Chili Cook-Off, visit our website. 11th Annual Festival of the Brewpubs - Sunday, May 27th Join us for our largest party of the year! Spend the day sampling beer from a variety of Colorado brewpubs for one low price per 14 oz mug (as long as you're 21 yrs old). Breweries include Pug Ryan's, Breckenridge Brewery, Dillon Dam, Backcountry Brewery, Avery, TommyKnockers and Odell brewing. Get a souvenir mug and sample the finest Colorado brews Sunday, May 27 from 12:00pm through 4:00pm for only $25. Coming up from Denver? Why hitch a ride with Front Range Ski Bus? They're offering 2 for 1 round trips. Use promo code "BeerFriend." Book your seat online! If you're in Summit County, the FREE Summit Stage bus will run to A-Basin during the brewfest. Visit the Festival of the Brewpub event page for more information, transportation information and lodging deals. A-Basin Charge - Not just for A-Basin pass holders Attach a credit card to your season pass and never carry cash on the mountain again! Use your season pass as you would your credit card at any Arapahoe Basin on-mountain location. Alternatively, pass holders may also load a set cash value onto their pass with the Stored Value option. Visit our online store to sign up for A-Basin Charge today 2012/13 A-Basin Season Passes - On Sale Now 12/13 A-Basin Season Passes Adult (19 years+) - $299 Youth (15-18 years) - $209 Child (6-14 years) - $139 12/13 A-Basin Family Season Passes - Buy 3 passes and receive an A-Basin $10 gift card with each pass purchased Adult (19 years+) - $299 Youth (15-18 years) - $209 Child (6-14 years) - $139 All A-Basin season passes include: One $45 half-day class lesson with the A-Basin Snowsports School (for pass holder only, available Fri-Sun) for the 2012/13 season 10% off Food and Beverage (excluding the 6th Alley Bar) 10% off retail at Arapahoe Sports Discounted tickets for friends and family $10 off performance tune (valid all season) A-Basin Charge available Visit our online store to sign up for A-Basin Charge today. Sunscreen or Suncream - either way you need it, Heidi Ho Arapahoe Basin Ski Sign up for this bi weekly newsletter and have Heidi Ho inform you about what is happening at Basin.


text:
Find a Retailer
Sporting a 2WD, ROAR-legal short course chassis with
aluminum oil-filled shocks and a LiPo-compatible ESC, it's ready-to-run and
ready to take on the competition. Not only does this 1/10-scale truck have a
Losi® radio system with Spektrum™ 2.4GHz DSM® technology, but
it's got a Supercross.com licensed body with sponsor decals and superior
handling from its generous ground clearance. Losi teamed up with Jeremy
"Twitch" Stenberg to bring you this scale replica of the Supercross.com Pro-2
truck from the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. It also includes the
Stronghold Motorsports XXX-SCT body, which represents an extra $49.99 value.
This exclusive product is only available through
horizonhobby.com and participating Horizon Certified Partners listed on the
Store Locator. Call ahead to verify participation and product
Based on one of the most successful racing platforms in
Losi history, the XXX-SCT is ready for the competition but will be right at
home dominating the driveway.
This LiPo compatible ESC features auto-cell detection and
comes with a cutoff built in for 2S LiPos.
The XXX-SCT gets its muscle from a 12T 550-sized modified
motor for amazing acceleration and top end speeds for high-flying jumps. The
motor houses an internal cooling fan that keeps the operating temperatures low
improving performance and motor life longevity.
Short course racing and everyday backyard bashing can offer
up some very unforgiving terrain but thanks to the all-aluminum oil-filled
shocks the XXX-SCT can deliver and much more.
To keep things running as smoothly and efficiently as
possible a full set of ball bearing are utilized throughout the XXX-SCT.
With a look similar to their counterparts on the full-scale
Stronghold truck, the chrome wheels with simulated beadlock rings ensure power
is transferred to the ground in style, while the Eclipse SCTs provide plenty of
traction on multiple surface types.
Adding to the scale realism are the realistic mud flaps
that feature a molded Losi logo.


text:
With exactly three weeks to go before it hits stores, we're opening up the mailbag again to take your questions about any and everything regarding Brink.
Wondering about the most minute gameplay detail — or curious about post-release support? Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood is standing by to answer your questions. Leave a comment here — or alternatively, on the forums, Twitter or Facebook. Leave a comment here — we'll collect them all and get as many answered as we can.
Update: We've submitted the questions to Paul. Thanks for all the great questions!


text:
Beijing's Smog Effect, Next-Gen Doping Tests & Fenway Park's Scoreboard: Science of Sports PODCAST
With the opening ceremony just days away, can Beijing clean up its air in time for healthy Olympic competition? We sit down with George Thurston--a professor of environmental medicine at NYU, a leading expert on airborne pollutants and a former athlete himself--to find out why every athlete may be in danger from the physiological effects of smog, and why neither USOC-supplied masks nor China's emergency plans can stop them. Plus, Paul Strauss explains how independent tests could finally rid pro cycling of banned substances, and the low-tech scorekeeper for the Boston Red Sox takes us behind the Green Monster at baseball's trading deadline.
Right click here and click "Save link as" to save this podcast to your hard drive.
Subscribe to PM's bi-weekly podcast here:


text:
Virtual Instruments, Software Synths, Sample Libraries, Loops, Sounds, and Audio Tools for the Modern Musician. Click here to learn more about ILIO.
At ILIO you'll find everything you need to make music like a Virtual Instrument master. Whether you're starting out or whether you're a working professional musician, this is the place you'll find the most incredible software instruments, sample CD-ROMS, sample libraries and even tools such as Vienna Suite and Vienna Ensemble Pro.
ILIO enables you to harness the power of technology in order to create musical masterpieces that would otherwise require a full orchestra or stage full of rockers. If you have an ear for music, and are itching to get inventive, we have the products for you. From your favorite Virtual Instrument to a sample library that will help you round off the perfect track, ILIO is the place that has it all. You might have a deep love for music and desire to create musical masterpieces that get people tapping their feet or you might be a creative artist who desires nothing more than to embrace freedom of expression.
Take a few moments to look around our site and you're guaranteed to find something that will spark your interest.
The great thing about using a sample library and Virtual Instrument is that you can take the concept of a "one-man-band" to a whole new level. These innovative computer programs give you an affordable way to create music from the comfort of your own home studio. Not everyone has thousands of dollars to invest in musical instruments, studio time and everything else that goes into making a good track. The products on the ILIO website offer you a simpler way to get started. Once you're on your feet and have made some moves in the right direction, the rest will follow.
ILIO | 1-800-747-4546 | © 2017, All Rights Reserved.


text:
New 1:1 replica from AvP...
Sideshow has unveiled their latest Predator mask prop replica: the Elder Ceremonial Mask from the movie Alien vs. Predator. Pre-orders for this cool piece begin on Thursday, June 14th. The Elder Predator Mask Replica will be priced at $324.99.
To find out more about these incredible 1:1 replicas, be sure and read our reviews on the STALKER Predator Mask and CHOPPER Predator Mask.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, RedfordFilms.com, Toynk.com, PastGenerationToys.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.