Blog about Jewel

Fourth of July Family Fun Day Schedule
Times and events subject to change
10 a.m.: Walk and Bike Tour on Bike Path, Clio Park, Pavilion 3
11 a.m.: Community Church Service, Presented by Clio Ministerial Association Clio Park, Pavilion 1
11 a.m.: Concessions open, Clio Park, parking lot; displays open: Revolutionary and Civil War, Clio Park, west of creek; Clio Fire Department, Clio Park, north end
Noon: Opening ceremonies/flag raising, Clio Park flag pole; displays open: Radio-control cars Carter Middle School parking lot; helicopter fly-in, middle school soccer field
12:15 p.m.: Kids' sand castle building contest begins, Clio Park, Pavilion 1, two bicycles awarded, one boy, one girl
1 p.m.: Kids' Games, 10 and younger, free/prizes, Clio Park, south bridge
2:30 p.m.: family games, kids and adults, free, Clio Park, south bridge
3 p.m.: Sand castle contest ends, voting begins, Clio Park, Pavilion 1
3:30 p.m.: Reading of the Declaration of Independence, Clio Park, Liberty Pole
4 p.m.: Community Tug 'O War, Clio Park, north bridge
4:30 p.m.: Pie eating contest, Clio Park, Pavilion 1
5 p.m.: Clio Rotary Club Duck Race (tickets $10) Clio Park, north
bridge
5 p.m.: Sand Castle contest awards, Clio Park, Pavilion 1
5:30 p.m.: Concert, Sophia Emory / Caleb Evans, Amphitheater Stage, free
6 p.m.: Concert, Norton Male Chorus, Amphitheater Stage, free
7:15 p.m.: Concert, The Taylor Brother, Amphitheater Stage, free
9:p.m.: Concert: Night Shades, Amphitheater Stage, free
9 p.m.: Free Teen Dance (ages 13-18), DJ John Christian, Clio Community Ed parking lot
10:20 p.m.: fireworks by Wolverine Fireworks Display, Inc. Donated by Clio Area businesses, organizations and individuals of the Patriots' Club
Private fireworks, including sparklers, alcohol and skating are not permitted in the park, amphitheater or on school grounds.

MSFT Company report, financial results, key ratios, income statement The company report for Microsoft Corporation provides an overview of the company, including a One Microsoft Way North Office 2211 Redmond WA 98052. Phone: 425-8828080 ; Fax Source: moneycentral.msn.comThe Colbert Report - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Colbert Report , is an American satirical television program on Comedy Central that stars comedian Stephen Colbert, best known previously as a senior correspondent for The Daily Show. The Colbert Source: en.wikipedia.orgReport it - Sarbanes Oxley Compliance and view credit report online free Employee hotline services.Report it offers solutions to integrate and view credit report online free manage Sarbanes Oxley, Feedback, Compliance and view credit report online free Employee Safe Harbor Policy Report it is a division of Report-it.com Copyright 2006 Report-it.com Source: www.reportit.netSchool Accountability ReportReports on Assessment 2005-2006 School Accountability Reports; Search School Accountability Reports (includes School Grades Source: schoolgrades.fldoe.orgWorld Economic Forum - Global Information Technology ReportThe Global Information Technology Report. Since it was first launched in 2001, The Global Information Technology Report has become a valuable and view credit report online free unique benchmarking tool to determine national ICT Source: www.weforum.org

eTelecare Global Solutions, Inc. - Shareholder Briefcase Registration
Shareholder Briefcase Registration: Collect, zip and download files from our Investor Relations website. Click on the briefcase icon located near most downloadable files throughout our IR website and
Source: investor.etelecare.com

Briefcase
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Source: www.interamer.net

Adaptec, Inc. - Shareholder Briefcase Registration
Investor Information: Adaptec Quickly collect, zip and download files right from our Investor Relations website.
Source: investor.adaptec.com

Corporate Gifts, Briefcase, Christmas, Business Gift, Leather Bags
Offers Leather Gifts, Bags and Accessories including Attache Cases, Briefcases, Binders, Desk Sets LUXURY BRIEFCASES, LUGGAGE, BUSINESS GIFTS, LEATHER BAGS & MORE: Whether you’re a frequent flyer
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New Jersey Resources - Shareholder Briefcase Registration
Shareholder Briefcase Registration. Quickly collect, zip and download files right from our Investor Relations website. Just click on the “Add to briefcase” icon throughout our IR website and use
Source: investor.njresources.com

Directed Electronics, Inc. - Shareholder Briefcase Registration
Shareholder Briefcase Registration Quickly collect, zip and download files right from our Investor Relations website. Just click on the “Add to briefcase” icon throughout
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Laptop Briefcases ++
The GYMS Laptop Briefcase can carry your files and laptop. It is constructed from neoprene and features include a removable laptop protection sleeve and detachable shoulder strap.
Source: www.gymspacific.com

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. - SHAREHOLDER BRIEFCASE REGISTRATION
Quickly collect, zip and download files right from our Investor Relations website. Just click on the “Add to briefcase” icon throughout our IR website and use the Shareholder Briefcase page.
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Huge numbers of news sources are reporting on recent neuroscience studies that have linked the effect of cannabis on the brain to the development of psychosis.

The excitement is because the 2nd International Cannabis and Mental Health Conference is currently under way in London where scientists from around the world are presenting the latest research on the effects of cannabis.

Luckily, the conference programme and summaries for all the research presented are available online as a pdf file, so you can get a more accurate idea of what the studies have found.

It is now clear that cannabis increases the risk of psychosis in some people who have a family history of psychosis and / or certain versions of the COMT gene.

However, the main thrust of the news stories is that even a single dose of THC, the main ingredient in cannabis that causes the ‘high’, can trigger psychotic symptoms.

A study by Dr Cyril D’Souza noted that:

Δ-9-THC produced schizophrenia-like positive and negative symptoms, altered perception, increased anxiety, produced euphoria, disrupted immediate and delayed word recall, impaired performance on tests of attention and working memory without impairing orientation.

The difficulty is that just because something seems to cause similar effects to psychosis, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is strongly linked to it.

For example, a dose of alcohol can ‘produce’ similar symptoms to Alzheimer’s disease - loss of memory, disorientation, mood swings, aggression and so on - but that isn’t a good basis to say that the alcohol is doing the same thing in the short-term as the degenerative brain disorder does in the long-term.

More convincing are the results from the cognitive tests: impairment in immediate and delayed recall, attention and working memory without impairing orientation.

This is because the subjective effects of both cannabis and psychosis are, well subjective, but the cognitive effects are measurable with controlled neuropsychological tests.

One particularly interesting study from Dr Cecile Henquet found that when compared to controls, patients experienced a greater increase in psychotic experience after taking THC, but also had a greater improvement in their mood.

This might explain why people with psychosis will often continue smoking cannabis even when they know it causes their mental state to deteriorate.

Another fascinating finding, is that as well as containing the possibly psychosis increasing THC, cannabis also seems to contain an antipsychotic called cannabidiol or CBD.

One study presented by Prof Markus Leweke found that purified CBD had a beneficial effect equal to amisulpride, a widely used pharmaceutical antipsychotic medication.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the cutting-edge of cannabis research the surprisingly readable conference programme is well worth checking out.

Link to conference programme and research summaries.

The Great BCS Debate…Part I

Here at 40:20 we don’t enter into many debates, but I think it’s time to change that. I’m throwing down the gauntlet on the BCS as a total wackjob and that there are only three solutions that are viable. In this first post, why the BCS system is a sham.

If you haven’t been paying attention in previous years (i.e. Auburn), let me point you to two games this year which showed why the BCS system is a joke: Ohio State v. Florida and Michigan v. U.S.C. I don’t want to talk about the whole Florida/Michigan controversy which supposedly has been put to rest, that’s focusing on the smoke and not the fire. Ohio State played in that game after 51 days off. 51 days! That’s almost two months! No other professional sport (except maybe boxing or horse racing, which are quite different) asks a team to remain at the top of their game and the peak of their performance for two months without a contest. NFL announcers every single year ponder whether wild card teams will have an advantage over Division champs who had only a single week off, and every year we’re told that it factored in somehow when that division champ loses (see Baltimore this year). For anyone who watched those two games, there was one thing that was abundantly clear about both Michigan and Ohio State - they didn’t show up. I could have told you Michigan wouldn’t show up because they never show up to a bowl game or a California game, and certainly not to a California Bowl game, but Ohio State was a surprise. Tressel is too good a coach for that, and I think the system is to blame for the lop-sided wins that characterized the bowl season this year.

The heart of the matter for me is that the current system is built on a bowl structure that was never meant to produce a true national champion. Sure, there have been polled national champions for the past 100 years, but what teams really cared about were the rivalries, the conference games, and the bowls reflected that. The old bowl system was, well, collegial, and is ill-suited to produce a “true” national champion because that’s not what it was made for. If your goal is to crown a national champ, you need a different system.

Part II Tomorrow…

[Tags: interactive pr, pr, flash, SEO]. UCE Birmingham Interactive PR student Dorota Jablonska looks at:

Search Engine Marketing (including SEO) A search engine is a program designed to help find information stored on a computer system (e.g. World Wide Web).It also helps to drive the potential customers to your website. What is more, Search Engine Marketing builds online brand awareness and consumer relationships.
There are different kinds of search engines: search engine, which searches for information on the public Web, enterprise search engine, which searches on intranet (a private computer network), personal search engine, which searches individual personal computers, mobile search engine. In order to achieve the business objectives the producers can use one of the Search Engine Services that offer optimisation and submission services.
Let’s look at some examples of those. HQ Search Engine Service Interactive Return- Online Marketing Agency Get me on Google, a specialist search engine marketing company SearchPath? Internet Marketing What do they offer?
Search engine submission, which means getting listed, Search Engine Optimisation, which refers to the act of altering your site so that it may rank well for particular terms, Search engine placement and positioning refer to get your site to the “top ten” ranking for a particular keyword or search terms., Search Engine Marketing and Promotion as the overall process of marketing on search engines such as: submission, optimization, managing paid listings etc. Internet Marketing Consulting Pay Per Click Advertising Online Advertising Email Marketing builds brand awareness, influence sales offline and keep their customers informed with relevant updates, news and offers. Online Marketing Training, courses are facilitated by Interactive Return’s online marketing, usability and ecommerce consultants. The main solution of these websites is to connect the business to the Internet searchers. Some of these point need to be described in greater details Search Engine Submission: Getting listed
Act of getting listed with several different engines , other words search engine registration. In order to let know the search engine that your web exists . “Search engine submission is akin to you purchasing a lottery ticket. Having a ticket doesn’t mean that you will win, but you must have a ticket to have any chance at all.” (SearchEngineWatch?.com)
Search Engine Optimisation : Improving The Odds
Method that improve the number and quality of visitors to your websites from search engine listings. It is also a subset of search engine marketing, which includes sponsored search listings. The term SEO also refers to “search engine optimizers”. ” Returning to the lottery model, let’s assume there was a way to increase the odds of winning by picking your lottery numbers carefully. Search engine optimization is akin to this. It’s making sure that the numbers you select are more likely to win than purchasing a set of numbers at random “. (SearchEngineWatch?.com) Search Engine Optimisation Tools
Keyword Research Tool Search Engine Position Checker Link Popularity Checker Keyword Analysis Tool Search Engine Spider Simulator Meta Tag Generator Web Page Analyser Top PPC Bids Checker Link Appeal Rewrite Rule Generator Search Engine Optimizer An industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients Pay Per Click Advertisements They can be found next to search results and are called sponsored links or ads. When the user clicks on the ad the advertiser gets paid for the service. PPC is categorized in Keyword, Product and Service engines. How to register with search engines? If you want to use the Search Engine Marketing service you need to pay for an initial setup and monthly fee. Some of the services offer you monthly trial, so they can convince you that their service is worth investment. You can register online, but also you can contact representatives regarding your online marketing requirements. Multi Channel Feature
Search Engines develop their services as everything else in the virtual word. Now it is possible to assign multiple custom channels to a single ad unit. Google AdSense? Launches Multiple Channel Feature. For more information about the invention go on Google Ad Sense blog SearchEngineWatch?
Website where you can find all the information in relation to Search Engines “The Source for Search Engine Marketing” as they called themselves. These include: Latest stories Current Articles but also Search Engine Report Archives Search Engine Listing Search Engine Resources contain a collection of links relating to different search engine subject Search Engine Ratings. Personally I found a very interesting article about online searches done by US home and work web surfers in July 2006 that were performed at a particular search engine. The researchers were carried out by the Nielsen/Net Ratings Search reporting service. Readers can find there a graph, figures and information about the issue. There is plenty of different information which are related to the subject and can clear up any problem. forums, blog submissions tips Confusion over search listing If you tend to get lost in trying to distinguish between paid-for and normal listing, you are not alone. 70% of users claim that “online ad clutter is hampering their ability to perform key task” (Dillabough,2003). The reason is marketing jargon that is used by the search engines to describe their paid for listing. Luckily there are services that provide help for clients to “understand the unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on their business” (Jupiterreserach, 2005). Jupiter Research Business Intelligence for Business Results company is one of those who will help you to understand all the rules that are estabished.
Event for Search Engine Marketing & Optimization There are also events where you can learn how to maximize search engine marketing and optimization opportunities and stay informed of the latest search developments and solutions in this area. For Example: Standing-Room-Only event by Search Engine Strategies What can the Search Engine Marketing be used for? As an example let’s look at the Coca Cola Company that uses Search Engine Marketing as a tool in its public relations arsenal. Company uses paid search to help managed its reputation that was violated by Sinaltrainal, a Colombian labor union who charged in court that Coca-Cola is responsible for improper anti-union tactics in bottling plants.
Read the article Summary
Search Engine Marketing is extremely useful to promote the business online. It helps to rank better, among million of other websites. Search Engines build brand awareness, customers relationship, influence sales, keep people informed with what is important, and also with what is not. That is the annoying side of the Search Engines Marketing. We all have to deal with PPC, unwanted emails and online advertising. Finding the relevant information is not so easy since the number of websites has been increasing every second. The rat race of those who want to be the most noticeable remains. Every single Search Engines Service will advertise itself as the best, the most helpful and managed. They always say that as a customer you will get the best service, and your website will be ranking well. Registering with them is not enough. Knowing how to maximize search engine marketing and optimizing opportunities, staying informed about the latest developments, understanding analysis, research, etc and constant increasing of the knowledge are the keys to success. References Americant http://www.americaint.com/ Dillabough, 2003, New Media Age Danny Sulivan, 2006 Nielsen NetRatings? Google blog AdSense? http://adsense.blogspot.com/ Get me on google http://www.getmeongoogle.co.uk/ HQ Web Service http://www.hqwebservices.co.uk/seo.htm Interactive return http://www.interactivereturn.com/ Jupiter Research http://www.jupiterresearch.com/ Media Post Publication http://publications.mediapost.com/ National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/ Submit Corner Wired 2000 http://www.submitcorner.com/ Search Engine Watch http://searchenginewatch.com/ Search engine Strategies http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/ Webmaster toolkit http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/ Web Site Optimization http://www.websiteoptimization.com/ Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org

Future Tense - “Storm” virus enslaving computers
A worm called “Storm” is picking up intensity this month. Storm first showed up in January. A recent campaign to distribute the virus by spam messages has made it among the worst attacks of the last couple of years.
(tags: mp3 ecast virus security radio)

Futuer Tense - News, comedy are top ‘Net video choices
A new study finds that one in five online Americans watch video on the Internet on any given day. Mary Madden with the Pew Internet and American Life Project says the rising number of high-speed Internet connections is partly responsible for the popularit
(tags: mp3 radio video comedy ecast)

Future Tense - Voting machines companies, registrars await findings of security investigation
(tags: radio voting elections democracy security ecast)

Future Tense - The opposite of the iPhone
A new kind of phone, based on a platform called OpenMoko, promises a very different experience. With the open source Linux at its core, OpenMoko phones are being built to function more like the open environment of a computer.
(tags: iphone radio telephone OpenSource mobile mobilemarketing ecast)

CBS.com - Innertube
CBS’ online video distribution channel.
(tags: video Television)

Net Elections In Minnesota Panel - February 2003
This is the audio to a panel I moderated.
(tags: audio slideshow Minnesota MinnesotaPolitics stream onlinepolitics)

Insider Pages
Restaurant Reviews, Beauty Salons, Dentists, Preschools, Spas and more.
(tags: local index directory yellowpages iyp reviews socialmedia)

Judy’s Book - What’s on sale near you.
Social shopping site.
(tags: local directory index shopping reviews)

TV Debate Moves to Web - How to Count Audiences
The Internet Advertising Bureau is putting together a team to develop guidelines for counting Web video audiences, said Sheryl Draizen, senior VP and general manager with the group, whose mission is to help online interactive companies grow their revenues
(tags: video Statistics measurement analytics article standards)

Worldwide Online Gaming Reaches 217 Million People
Online gaming sites - those that provide online or downloadable games - attracted some 28% of the total worldwide online population in May and recorded an average of 9 visits per visitor, comScore said.
(tags: article Statistics demographics onlinebehavior videogames survey)

LeeAnn Prescott - Hitwise US: Flickr Traffic up 38% in Past Four Weeks, Now #2 Photo Site
Flickr Traffic up 38% in Past Four Weeks, Now #2 Photo Site
(tags: blogpost onlinebehavior marketshare photosharing socialnetworking statistics flickr)

MLB Plans Video Archive Launch
Major League Baseball is opening up its video archives for people to play with and create their own highlight reel, reports The Associate Press.
(tags: article video baseball mlb sports sportsmarketing)

Actober
Major League Baseball’s video remixing site allows fans to create their own highlight reels.
(tags: video baseball mlb sports sportsmarketing mashups)

blog.pmarca.com: Ning news: new investment round
Marc Andreesen confirms financing for new DIY social networking service.
(tags: blogpost socialnetworking)

My Maps Plus
Tool for embedding Google’s My Maps into your blog or web site.
(tags: maps GoogleMaps tool html service)

TalkShoe voice talk shows and discussion groups - Talkcasts
(tags: podcasting service tool radio)

Newseum | Today’s Front Pages | Gallery View
Graphics of the front pages of newspapers around the world showing coverage of today’s news.
(tags: news newspapers archives history media gallery)

In Pictures: The Strangest Sights in Google Earth
With its detailed satellite photos, Google’s interactive map lets everyone be a virtual globetrotter. And some of the things we’ve found in our travels are downright bizarre.
(tags: maps GoogleMaps photography weird)

Boing Boing: Minneapolis bridge collapse: blog roundup
(tags: blogpost blogging)

estrategy.newsvine.com - estrategy
(tags: news citizenmedia citizenjournalism socialediting socialjounalism)

howardowens.com: media blog
(tags: media news onlinejournalism Journalism blog)

Hypergene MediaBlog
How citizens are changing the future of news and information.
(tags: news media blog citizenmedia citizenjournalism)

RConversation
Ideas, links, and occasional rants by Rebecca MacKinnon: journalist, blogger, and educator.
(tags: blog Journalism)

yelvington.com | Steve Yelvington’s weblog
(tags: news media blog)

Pioneer Press Photos
PioneerPressPhotos.com is the home of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Photography Department.
(tags: photos photojournalism media news newspaper PioneerPress Minnesota saintpaul)

ImTOO Download YouTube Video - Download YouTube Video,YouTube Downloader
ImTOO Download YouTube Video is free YouTube video downloader software to save videos from YouTube.com and play the video with the FLV player within the software.
(tags: software video free tool)

SoonR - In Touch Now
SoonR keeps you securely connected to your computer files so you’re free to go mobile
(tags: mobile mobilecomputing mobilemarketing storage sharing telephone web2.0 service tool)

A Half-Win for Cellphone Users
The Federal Communications Commission opened the door to much needed competition in cellphone services last week when it set the rules for an auction of public airwaves early next year. It did a disservice to consumers by not requiring the winners to rese
(tags: fcc article opionion editorial wifi telephone regulation)

Twist Image - Mitch Joel Blog - Marketing and Communication Insights -
(tags: internetmarketing podcast)

About at The Hollywood Podcast
Los Angeles actor/writer, Tim Coyne, goes behind the scenes in the city of dreams.
(tags: podcast hollywood movies celebrity losangeles)

Burned Once, but Starting Up Again
The author of Burn Rate, Mr. Wolff, is throwing caution to the wind with a new Internet start-up, a Web site called newser.com that aggregates news articles for convenient reading.
(tags: article news media aggregator)

Newser - Faster, Smarter News
Newser offers a quick, graphic snapshot of the news and a way to dig deeper for images, audio, video, and links to the best sources.
(tags: news media aggregator service tool)

Bridge Disaster Revives a Quiet Web Site, Making It a Source for Original Reporting
The headquarters of Internet Broadcasting, a publisher of 70 local TV station Web sites, are located 10 miles from the site of Wednesday’s highway bridge collapse in Minneapolis. When word of the collapse came, the company sent reporters to the scene.
(tags: article Minnesota minneapolis news media)

Flickr: MnSpeak Photo Group
(tags: Minnesota minneapolis saintpaul twincities photos citizenmedia)

Nothing to Watch on TV? Streaming Video Appeals to Niche Audiences
The potential of new streaming video services — fast, full screen and in sharp resolution — is unleashing a torrent of movies and television shows, much of it aimed at narrowly defined audiences that can’t find niche programming even on cable system
(tags: video videomarketing article streaming)

‘Fake Steve’ Blogger Comes Clean
The mysterious writer has used his blog, the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, to lampoon Mr. Jobs and his reputation as a difficult and egotistical leader, as well as to skewer other high-tech companies, tech journalists, venture capitalists, open-source softw
(tags: article blogging bookmarketing satire parody)

Edwards’s Campaign Tries to Harness Internet
John Edwards’s campaign has another barometer of success: a 90-day calendar that tracks, in a jumble of red, green and black numbers, the spikes and dips in traffic to the campaign’s Web site.
(tags: article onlinepolitics internetmarketing democrats uspresidentialrace)

TwinCities.com - Cameras in hand, citizens take over
Witnesses to the I-35W bridge collapse post the news online
(tags: article onlinebehavior citizenmedia citizenjournalism 35wbridgecollapse)

Allies Urge Republicans to Join YouTube Debate
When the two leading Republican presidential candidates started to squirm last week about attending a Sept. 17 YouTube debate, in which the public would ask them questions via video, they faced a surprising backlash from their ideological allies in the bl
(tags: video article onlinepolitics youtube debate democracy republicans uspresidentialdebate)

Selling a Concept With a Song
Reports about classical music being played in public spaces to decrease crime or ease anxiety, as well as widely publicized studies from Muzak about music’s ability to increase efficiency and make people feel better, have led some developers and markete
(tags: internetmarketing sound audio music article)

Future Tense - Citizen media cover bridge collapse
Today’s Future Tense included conversations with Minnesota citizens who helped document the tragic 35W bridge collapse with their blogs, cameras, and cell phones.
(tags: podcast mp3 Minnesota minneapolis 35wbridgecollapse citizenmedia citizenjournalism ecast)

Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis - St. Paul
The Twin Cities Daily Planet is conceived as an experiment in participatory journalism, built on a partnership between professional journalists and individual citizens.
(tags: local twincities Minnesota minneapolis saintpaul news media onlinejournalism citizenmedia citizenjournalism collaborativejournalism)

Future Tense - How to download, Save YouTube videos
Downloading YouTube clips and saving them to your computer, iPod or other device is a better way to go than merely viewing them on some Web site.
(tags: mp3 podcast technology video radio ecast)

Advertising Age - Power 150
Top media and marketing blogs.
(tags: blogs media marketing internetmarketing list)

Minneapolis may become model for emergency-related Wi-Fi use
In the minutes, hours and days after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the Wi-Fi network morphed into a vital tool for those involved in disaster response, and for average users needing a fast, reliable means to reassure their loved ones.
(tags: article minneapolis Minnesota twincities wifi brodband 35wbridgecollapse)

We have a large selection of audio books for children of all ages, that you can download instantly and listen to any where.

All of a Kind Family Downtown Written By : Sydney Taylor Performed By : Suzanne Toren Publisher - Listen & Live Duration : 4 hours Categories : Under 10s
Over 10s
General Price : $14.25 Buy Now… “This is a gentle tale of a very different time.” - The Providence Journal

This sequel finds talented Ella, mischievous Henny, studious Sarah, dreamy Charlotte, and little Gertie helping Mama with their new baby brother, Charlie. Everyone will want to join the girls and their loved ones in yet another series of stories about life in an earlier America, where affection and understanding more than made up for riches and luxury.

“This excellent audiobook will find an eager audience in schools and public libraries.” - School Library Journal

“Sidney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family books remain a staple with readers who enjoy building long, comfortable relationships with ficitonal families.” - The Horn Book

“Toren lends her beautiful speaking voice to the tales, differentiating the characters in an understated storytelling style.” - Today’s Librarian all of a kind family
Laura Hollander from Brooklyn - 11 Jan 2007 this is a wonderful book, from the excitment, to the fact that this is a non fiction story and every little thing makes it that much better. I recomed this book to be read aloud from ages 5-7 and from ages 8 and up should read it by them selfs. you can read this siries 100s of times and it never gets old! Other titles you may be interested in Book of Princesses (Unabridged), A Written By : Sally Gardner Performed By : Emma Chambers Publisher - Orion Publishing Group Duration : 50 minutes Categories : Fairy Tales
Under 10s
Short Stories Price : $5.75 The book for everyone who loves a princess, with five favourite stories unabridged… See full description… Oracle, The Written By : Catherine Fisher Performed By : Judith Boyd Publisher - Craftsman Audio Books Duration : 8 hours 30 minutes Categories : Action & Adventure
Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Magic
Over 10s Price : $18.49 In the first part of a trilogy set in an ancient arid land, a young priestess puts her own life in danger to find a very special child… See full description… Series of Unfortunate Events - The Seventh Book: The Vile Village Written By : Lemony Snicket Performed By : Tim Curry Publisher - Harper Collins UK Duration : 4 hours 23 minutes Categories : Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Magic
Under 10s
Over 10s Price : $12.49 You have undoubtedly picked up information about this audio by mistake, so please put it down… See full description… Curious Adventures of Jimmy McGee, The Written By : Eleanor Estes Performed By : Jane Jacobs Publisher - Listen & Live Duration : 5 hours Categories : Under 10s
Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Magic Price : $18.25 “One of Estes’s most bewitching creations.” - Publishers Weekly “Delightfully imaginative, with originality and humor. The author has a deep sense of a child’s world of wonder.” — Christian… See full description…

April 20, 2007 12:00 AM
“The TV Set” takes on prime time TV, and misses
By Ted Mills
Jake Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan (”The Big Chill”), has never gotten a fair shake in Hollywood.
His 1998 film, “Zero Effect,” was originally all but ignored, but has slowly gained a cult following by those lucky enough to have seen it. “Orange County” turned out to be the one Jack Black comedy nobody went to see. And Kasdan directed episodes of the ill-fated but cult-followed “Freaks and Geeks,” before it was cancelled.
Some of his apparent bitterness comes across in “The TV Set,” which takes on prime time TV much like “The Player” or “The Big Picture” took on the studio system.
But maybe “The TV Set” isn’t bitter enough. There’s little rage directed at a system designed to reward mediocrity. Nothing stings as it should, even though all the pieces are in place.
David Duchovny plays Mike, who we meet just as the suits at a Fox-like network gather to consider casting the pilot he is writing and producing. The project is autobiographical, a tale of a young lawyer returning home after his brother commits suicide. And it’s a “dramedy.” Uh-oh.
Mike wants the humor low-key, but the suits, led by Lenny (Sigourney Weaver), want it big and broad. A young British executive (Ioan Gruffudd) brought in to oversee the show and give it a bit of that BBC touch, tries to defend Mike’s choices, as does Mike’s manager, Alice (Judy Greer). When Mike considers digging in his heels over script changes, his wife (Justine Bateman) points to her pregnant belly. They need the money.
The opening scene spells out a lot of what’s wrong with the film. Mike’s choice of actor is a nervous, bearded mumbler. But, well, so is Mike. His character is introverted and rarely angry. He stumbles through the film with a series of ailments, including a head cold and a slipped disc.
Instead of garnering sympathy, we look around for characters with more vigor, which is why Greer — among her many comedic roles, the crazy secretary/mistress in “Arrested Development” — steals her scenes, even while portraying a character type we’ve seen in many Hollywood-eats-their-own films.
Fran Kranz also grabs laughs as conceited actor Zach Harper. His character’s best performances come in rehearsal, but once the camera rolls, he chews the scenery. Cameos by Andrea Martin, Willie Garson (”Sex and the City”), and Philip Baker Hall should also be savored.
“The TV Set” doesn’t tell us much we don’t know about the creative bankruptcy of network television, and seeing Greer is just another reminder of how executives have no idea what to do with originality and intelligence (See: the pitch-perfect “Arrested Development,” cancelled after three seasons).
The target audience for this film has probably moved to HBO and DVD rentals anyway. Trouble is, it feels like Kasdan has given up on TV, too. Instead of a brilliant kiss off, his film feels like a resignation letter.

Well, that explains everything…

I know there are people out there who think The Onion is the greatest comedy rag since National Lampoon or Spy, but I’ve always found it hit or miss. On my bulletin board is one of the hits: “Food Critic Tears Radish Canapés With Salmon Mousse A New Asshole.” That header says it all. I still laugh out loud when I read it. Maybe because I was once Phoenix New Times’ food critic.

But The Onion also features snoozers like this one with a PHX connection somebody just sent me, “DNA Evidence Frees Man From Zoo.” The premise is that a Mesa dood was mistaken for a giraffe by zookeepers and was only recently released after DNA tests were done to determine his species. Not a bad bit, but hardly Family Guy-level material.

Personally, I prefer the tabloid wackiness of the Weekly World News over The Onion. The latter is tongue in cheek, yet the former’s mouth muscle is proudly unfurled. Both produce fake news stories. But while no one believes The Onion’s stories, there is a small percentage that actually takes the WWN as gospel.

Indeed, the WWN nourishes a deep-seated need in the American psyche for the bizarre and outrageous, stories about Bat Boy, Jesus in a tortilla, Elvis alive and well on Mars, and Thomas Jefferson’s alien love child, to name a few. Plus, WWN’s usually far more inventive than anything The Onion produces, with an advice column from “Lester the Talking Horse,” an exclusive report from inside the gates of Hell, Bigfoot crossword puzzles, an ailing Fidel Casto treated by space aliens, and so on. As you can tell, I’m a subscriber.

Soon to be former subscriber. The South Florida Sun-Sentinal is reporting that though the online version of the paper will continue indefinitely, the print version of Art Bell’s favorite read will cease after the August 27 issue. Why? Why do you think? No ads, a steep drop in circ numbers, and competition from upstarts like, well, The Onion.

I’ve noted a certain generational disdain for the WWN. Most 20-somethings think The Onion rocks, but only know the WWN as that wack-ass paper they’ve seen at grocery store checkouts next to the hand sanitizer and the Slim Jims. Once they look through it, however, they’re ordinarily won over. It could be the visual style of the paper, too, which resembles old-fashioned tabloid shtick, and is black-and-white to boot. Maybe the lack of color photography boggles Gen Y’s sense of aesthetics.

I’ll miss it. I know it’ll be online, but the Internet version seems less crackpot for some reason. More like everything else online these days. Well, at least I have a few boxes of back issues. Next to my National Lampoons, Mad Magazines, and old copies of Omni. If Armageddon comes as the WWN promises it will, I’ll be set.