You can see that I am not able to walk around with the camera. I would research my subject, so I knew where I was going. When I got there I would leave the camera and lens etc in the car, and walk around with a 50mm on my digi Nikon, as that lens (approx 75mm on a 35mm film or full frame dslr) was about the same angle of view as the Howlett camera, which uses an 18 3/4 lens, approx 475mm, for the 12 film. Not a great focal length for landscapes, I have to say. Neither wide nor long, but there you go. The camera dictates in many ways, as we shall see. Once I had decided upon where I was to take the shot from, I would go to the car and get the tripod. Id set that up, and go back to the car for the camera body. I would put that on top of the platform on the tripod, and go back to the car again for the lens and darkslides. Sometimes these journeys were quite tricky, and the biggest worry was having to leave the camera body somewhere whilst I went back for the lens. I couldnt work too far from the car, half a mile was the furthest I think, at Windsor.However hard these trips got, all I had to do was think of Howlett, and Id feel better..he had to do this before cars, and also whilst taking his whole darkroom tent, glass plates, poisons, etc etc. Poor sod.
Next thing to do was find level ground and compose the shot. I cannot adjust the tripod legs so level ground it had to be. I would put the lens onto the camera, and dig out the black cloth. Hiding under it I would attempt to wrestle with an image that was upside down and back to front, and not very bright on the ground glass screen. No mirrors or prisms inside this mahogany box.Nothing at all, in fact, apart from my cat the other day who climbed in and went to sleep. When I was happy with the composition the fun would really begin.
Because I had chosen to use 12 film, and not glass plates like Howlett, I needed to take appropriate light readings relevant to the film speed. I had to get exposures of at least 1 second. This is because the camera has no shutter, and uncapping and capping the lens was how I controlled the exposure time. I cannot physically do that quicker than 1 second, and I preferred to be able to use times longer than a second if I could, for a couple of reasons; capping and uncapping too quickly provoked camera shake, and longer exposures dissolved all movement on the final image, allowing the subjects to appear less hindered by modern distractions such as cars. Light trails became exaggerated as well, which was attractive. Also I could paint with light on the longer exposures, as on the Maidenhead sounding arch shot and Starcross pumping station. For those I used a million candle power light, and outlined my subject during the exposure.
I had the choice of two film speeds believe it or not; 100 and 400 asa. Therefore it was easy to take a light reading with my nikon. I would only ever have one film speed in my film holders (double dark slides) for any one subject however. The maximum aperture of the huge brass lens is a rather incredible f4, so I could  work from there. I had also had some waterhouse stops made which I could slide into the lens if I needed to cut the exposure down further, and f8 stop and an f22. For the shots in daylight, such as that of the bridge at Saltash, even using 100asa and f22 gave exposure way too quick to cap and uncap the lens, if I remember correctly those exposures wanted to be around 15th second at f22. I had to tape flexible neutral density filters to the waterhouse stops to pull the exposure time down to 1 second.
When I knew my exposure time, I would double and triple check my focus. This was not easy as I have to pull the whole back of the camera in and out to move focus, and it is hardly smooth. That is why the camera is known as a twin sliding box type, one box at the rear slides into a larger one at front, ensuring light-tightness and allowing change of focus. The tiniest movement would change focus dramatically also..depth of focus (and depth of field) are tiny with the neg of that size.
When I was 100% happy with the focus and composition, I would cap the lens, and unclip the ground glass screen. I would fold that to the top or side of the camera depending on the orientation of the neg, whether upright or horizontal. The ground glass screen back is a 1210 piece of glass within the square back of the camera, allowing me to take either landscape or upright shots depending on orientation of the back. I would then clip a darkslide in the screens place. The film plane is the same as the focus plane. I would let the camera settle, and very, very carefully pull out the darkslide. This would be exposing the film to the inside of the camera, but remember that I still had the lens cap on. When I was 100% ready, I would uncap the lens gently for the required exposure time, ranging between 1 second and 30 minutes. When that time was up I would recap the lens, and slide the dark slide back across the film. This is where a lot of mistakes occurred. Due to the camera backs having been built for glass plates, often the dark slide would push the film into the body of the camera. If that happened, I swore. A LOT. Once, that happened after I had been lighting Clifton suspension bridge for half an hour during the exposure. I had used 200 flashes and a huge million candle power light. Once the film fell into the camera it was scrap. Traffic has never moved so slowly across the bridge however..

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Royal Caribbean International has recently changed their rules for shareholder benefits. If you are a shareholder and currently booked for 2009 and 2010, or thinking of booking one of their brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Azamara), this affects you.

As of January 1, 2009, shareholder onboard credits will no longer be able to be combined with other onboard credits, such as those you receive for booking onboard, credits I may offer as part of a group, or other special sales promotions or onboard benefits. This is a major change in their program, and important enough I thought you should know.

If you are a shareholder, and you are already booked for 2009 or 2010, you MUST send in your proof of shareholder ownership information and have it applied to your booking(s) prior to December 31. That doesn't mean send it in on December 31 - it actually has to be on your booking by that date. If you do that, your credits WILL still be combinable. After that date, you get one onboard benefit, that's it.

If you are a shareholder and are considering booking for 2009 or 2010, using an onboard open booking (such as a RCCL NEXT booking or Celebrity Passages booking), in order to receive both the onboard credit and the shareholder onboard credit benefit, you MUST book by December 31, 2008 and have the shareholder benefit applied by that date. Again, that doesn't mean you can wait until December 31 to book and send in your verification - it all must be complete and on your booking by 12/31.

I am going through my clients and for those for whom I have current shareholder statements, I'm proactively sending them in for you. However, if you do have a 2009 or 2010 booking through me, please also email me at amber@cruiseresource.com to ensure that I have you taken care of.

If you're booked through me, but usually take care of your own shareholder verification, either send that in for your future bookings immediately, or forward the proof of ownership to me (as an email attachment), and I'll submit it on your behalf.

There are still people at RCI who are fighting to reinstate the combinability, but in the current economic situation, they're fighting an uphill battle. Hopefully at some time in the future, they'll be successful, and it will again be combinable. In the meantime, at least they got us the reprieve until December 31 so we can still submit for your current bookings.

Please call or email with any questions you have and let me know how I can be of assistance, either with submitting for your current bookings, or making a new one for you in time.

And if you're wondering what in the world I'm talking about, shareholders of at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean International or Carnival Corporation stock are entitled to onboard credits on every cruise. It's an often-overlooked benefit to stock ownership, and a good option for frequent cruisers to pursue. If you'd like more information on these benefits, email or call and I'll be happy to explain the programs.

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I had a three weeks vacation to England last time. I also visited a lot of cities and places there. Thanks to good friends who also toured me in different places. Here is the chronological order or I would say the itinerary of my travel. I just want to write it here before I forget it and for record purposes.

October 27, 2008- arrived in Birmingham International airport.
October 28 - toured Birmingham City . thanks to a friend showed me the place.
Oct. 29-30 - sightseeing in London
Oct. 31 - go around Northfield, Birmingham
Nov. 01- spent Halloween at Warwick Castle in Warwickshire
Nov. 02- attended the Mass at Northfield with friend Loloy
Nov. 03- sightseeing at Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of the famous poet William Shakespeare.
Nov. 04 - short trip to Manchester
Nov. 05 - Sightseeing in Birmingham again
Nov. 06 - going around Northfield and have a rest day
Nov. 7-10 I went back alone to London again to visit some friends. here are the activities..
Nov. 8- watch the Lords mayor parade in London and visited my friends at Madame Tussauds...wink!!
Nov. 9 - short sightseeing at Canary Wharf, London and after that visited Windsor Castle with Rey
Nov. 10- I rode alone the famous London Eye and after that proceeded back to Northfield Birmingham
Nov. 11 - rode a train to visit a friend in Harrogate which is situated near the border of Wales..went a little bit sightseeing there.
Nov. 12- made a one day trip to Yorkshire with Ros
Nov. 13- sightseeing at Leeds
Nov. 14- short trip to Knaresborough and rode a train back to Birmingham
Nov. 15- sightseeing at Cadbury Choco factory and proceeded to Birmingham Christmas market with Loloy
Nov. 16 - should be backed to Germany but due to bad circumstances with Ryanair, returned trip did not push through
Nov. 17, 2008 I am finally back to my second home, Germany

I am finally done with my travel and adventure in England. Over all, I would say that was a great and exciting trip that was materialized due to friends goodness.

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Mansfield Parkis about standing firm to what you believe despite pressure from everyone you know.

Even if youre not in a book group, Austen will give you plenty to delight in and ponder on your own. Or how about trying a read-aloud with your significant other, best friend, or teenage daughter? Sort of like taking a trip back to a time to Austens day, when friends and family would sit around the fire and read out the best stories, installment by installment. A time before there were shopping malls and online stores and credit cards to max out.

Speaking of not maxing out your credit cards: If youd like to get the most out of your book-buying dollars, consider how many times the average avid Austen reader returns to each of those novels. A lot of us re-read all six yearly or every couple of years. Thats a lot of bang for your buck.

So whats so extraordinary about Austen that people like me cant stop reading her and talking about her? How about masterful storytelling, a killer sense of humor, an unflinching look at human nature—the good, the bad, and the ludicrous—and yeah, theres also a really satisfying love story wrapped up inside. Every time I read Austen, I learn something new about myself, and I see something new in the characters and the stories. Every time I turn the last page, I am filled with happiness and hope. And in times like these, we could all use a lot of that.
By the way, December 16 (thats today!) is Jane Austens birthday. Shes only 233.

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When I saw the giving is awesome website I knew I wanted to participate and run it along my current promotion.
Promotion : Brides, tell us why you deserve/want the free photography package and if you have someone to nominate do that as well! Youll get a free session valued at $150.00
I am going to give away one wedding package to a bride! All I want you to do is show me the most silly picture you have of you and your fiance and tell me about the two of you and why you want the package. Just email me with free wedding package in the headline and please include the city you are getting married and the date!
The package the bride and groom will receive:
6 hours of wedding day coverage
300 edited and retouched images
High resolution DVD of your 300 images
Proofing gallery
leah@leahstaffordphotography.com
entries due December 19 and winner announced Christmas eve!
And finally, there are no losers here! For everyone that enters they will receive 10% off a wedding package of their choice and a complimentary engagement album.
*this contest does not apply to current clients and weddings outside of Ohio and is also subject to date availability.

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Every place on the planet has something of interest, but Peru is undoubtedly a privileged country for its great natural, cultural and human legacy.
Here, nature lovers will fell gratifiedby the diversity of enviroments and escenery. They will be amazed by the sharp contrast betwen forestand deserts on the coast; deep ravines and towering snow-caped mountains in the Andean highlands; densely forested slopes and huge plañís of thickvegetation in the amazon jungle; and they will be surprised at the Wide variety of flora and fauna, unique in the world, that are characteristic to each of these regions.
Tose who admire the remains of the past will find magnificent testimonies to an ancient civilization that dates back six thousands years, with an unmistakable cultural identity that created wonders such as the royal tombs of Sipan, the Nasca Lines, Chan Chan and Machu Picchu. And they will be able to see the best examples –in paintings, sculpture and architecture- of the fusion of Hispanic and American cultures.
Adventure travelers will be able to ride tall waves and go looking for underwater life on the long stretches of natural beaches; clima high mountain ranges, explore deep caves, run the longest and biggest rivers on the continent, trek along ancient paths that wind trough different eco-systems; and observeendangered species up close in natural reserves of indescribable beauty.
Because it is a racial meeting pot, the country is home to multiple expressions of its people trough their ancient, creative and colorful folk art. Visitors can join in aged-old celebrations, each music and dance retelling its own history. They are welcome to share in the customs and tasks villagers and witness how farmers have been able to master the dificult terrain of the coast, highlands and jungle.
There also will be no lack of opportunities for the most demanding of palotes to savor the variety and quality of Peruvian cusine, Vich offers the visitor the best combination of flavors in the americas.

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Hooray, first postcard from Brazil adding to my collection.

Thank you to Ana.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking seventh among the largest urban areas in the world.

Huh, it's seems so many tall building lying around.

According to Ana, there are not many trees in her area.

São Paulo, or Sampa as it is also often called, is also probably one of the most underrated cities tourism-wise, often shaded by other places in the Brazilian sun beach circuit such as Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. It is in fact a great city to explore, with its own idiosyncrasies, the exquisite way of living of its inhabitants, not to mention the world-class restaurants and diverse regional and international cuisine available to all tastes. If there is a major attraction to this city, it is the excellent quality of its restaurants and the variety of cultural activities on display.

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As mentioned above, an SLR is more extendable than its compact cousins. It allows the photographer greater control over how the final image looks. Quite apart from the fact that there are more accessories available, an SLR will generally allow the photographer more control over basic camera controls, such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO selection. Whereas compacts will normally automatically adjust these settings according to a built in algorithm, SLRs will allow the photographer to set each individually, while still including the option of letting the camera operate in automatic mode. Furthermore, while most compacts will only operate in autofocus mode, an SLR will allow the user to manually focus the lens.
Because SLRs are extendable with a variety of lenses and accessories, they are also more versatile, and can be used in a variety of situations. The larger sensor sizes means that less image noise is generated in low light and that the photographer has better control over depth of field, with larger apertures throwing more of the background out of focus than is possible on the smaller Compacts.
Though this is a gross generalization, the image quality generated by SLR lenses are far superior to that available from Compacts. Of course, some Compacts are better than others and not every lens made for the SLR market is of equally high standard, but dedicated lenses at the middle to top end of the market are vastly more reliable and suffer from far fewer aberrations (or flaws) than those built into compact cameras.
One slightly archaic difference between SLRs and Compacts used to be that in a Compact the user does not actually look through the lens of the camera when taking the picture. Rather, the viewfinder was slightly of center, meaning that there was always the possibility of falling foul of a parallax error when taking the picture. Today, most compacts do allow the user to see exactly what the lens sees, but not through the viewfinder, rather by displaying the image as it will appear on the rear display of the camera. Though this is a vast improvement over the previous situation, it is not without flaws, and the image displayed on the back of the camera can often be quite faint and hard to discern in bright light. The large, clear viewfinders found on DSLRs still have the advantage.

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Title: Jay McGraws Life Strategies for Dealing with Bullies
Author: Jay McGraw
Publication: Aladdin, October 28, 2008
Genre: Nonfiction, children, ages 9-13 (per publisher)
Format: Hardcover book $17.99 full retail
ISBN: 978-1416974734

Rating 3 stars out of 5
Summary Statement: Appreciate the Attempt But Its Over-Simplified and Incomplete

The bottom line summary is I think this is a very important topic and Im happy the book was written. However the book is incomplete and over-simplified. This book is a start, so I do think those interested in the topic should buy it and read it, but we need more information and other kinds of information if bullying really going to be stopped. Read on to hear the details of why I feel this way about this book.




Author Jay McGraw (son of Dr. Phil McGraw, the talk show host) wants to stop bullying. He states he wrote this book for children. The advice is for the parents to read the book first, then give it to their children aged 9-13 (fourth through eighth grade) to read to themselves. The information in the book is to set the stage for a new way for parents and children to communicate and take action on these issues. If the child is the victim of bullying the idea is the parents will partner with their child to stop the child from being bullied.

I had high hopes for this book as I too would like bullying to stop. We need more books on the topic for all ages: more adult books for parents, more books for school teachers and administrators, more books for middle school and high school students, and more picture books for elementary grade aged kids.

In November 2008 Jay McGraw was on the Dr. Phil show talking about modern bullying to promote this book. The show didnt outline the strategies that are in this book though. The focus of the show was more on how bullying happens today. Specifically, on how modern technology has changed bullying and made it more complicated. Bullying is not always a face to face interaction that is over when a child goes home. Instead some bullies are staging physical beatings, often with more than one person beating up on one person while another video records the fight, then it is broadcasted on YouTube for all the world to see. Even if the video is eventually pulled off of YouTube many students at the school have already seen it and the event is remembered for a long time. Cyber-bullying on social networking sites like MySpace was discussed. There were two methods outlined on the show. One is that using screen names, kids hide their identity and post in writing, rude and sometimes horrible insults and accusations about their fellow students. Since no one can identify who the person behind the screen name is, it is hard to stop. In this way the bullying goes on in cyberspace, not inside of school walls, and goes inside the home of the victim and happens in off-school hours. Lastly some kids are stealing the identity of a victim and putting up fake MySpace pages including using the persons photographs and posting incorrect information such as accusing the victim of being a homosexual or say the victim is doing acts that defile their character, give them a bad reputation or slander their name. (Why that is not considered identity theft and therefore illegal is beyond my comprehension.) The fact that years of bullying sometimes ends in the victim committing suicide was discussed on the show also.

A major flaw in the book is that after outlining these types of modern technology bullying techniques in the book and also on that one TV show, the book does NOT ADDRESS those issues. The book gives no solutions to two of those bullying methods and the third bullying method of being slandered in writing on MySpace has only the advice of ignore it, dont read it, dont respond to itvery weak advice. There is no information for parents of ideas on how the parents can address the cyberspace issues such as: Is there a way for parents to contact YouTube and MySpace to demand that certain content be pulled down? Does MySpace not have etiquette guidelines and should not accounts be suspended or deleted if certain content is posted? If chat boards for adults online can have etiquette standards why are we not holding MySpace more accountable for setting etiquette guidelines, policing content and banning users from the site? Does posting a false MySpace account with a persons full name and photograph constitute legal identity theft and is that a crime punishable by law? Which parts of those types of bullying are illegal and when should parents report these incidents to the police (including physical beatings)?

The author states he was not bullied when he was in school and I feel that it contributed to his over-simplification of the issues and thinking they can be solved more easily than reality. From what has been shared on prior Dr. Phil Show episodes, the author was raised in a loving home, a stable home, and had nothing less than an ideal home life. Undoubtedly those things helped him have a confident sense of self. Jay McGraw seems to have natural leadership skills and be outgoing, two more things that help a person not be the victim of a bully. The fact is that not all kids have a great home life, not all kids have leadership skills, not all kids are extroverted and not all kids will even have parents who will try to stop their child from getting bullied, so those kids are already set up to fail with Jay McGraws action plan.

I feel that Jay McGraw is out of touch with two other things: what it really feels like to be a victim and how hard it is to get bullies to stop. He assumes that his strategies will work when many times they do not as illustrated from my experience as both a child/teen and as a parent. The suggestion to just ignore it and show no reaction does not work with all kinds of bullies. I did that for years and years and it didnt stop anything (getting spit in my face in high school, for example). The fact is some bullies do keep it up despite being ignored.

Another flaw is that the book ignores the known psychological issue of how kids react to bullying and the different types of aggression: proactive aggression and reactive aggression. The tactics that Jay McGraw suggests that victims use is unrealistic for children whose brains are programmed biologically and chemically with what is called reactive aggression. Proactive aggression is basically when a person intentionally seeks to harm and taunt others, verbally or physically. Some victims can ignore and walk away, choosing to take action or choosing inaction. Yet certain people have what psychologists call reactive aggression, and brain studies have shown that certain behavior of those with reactive aggression are impulsive in nature and are impulse reactions which are brain-centered not conscious choices made in other parts of the brain. The victims with reactive aggression little tolerance for having their buttons pushed and reacts quickly and impulsively to defend themselves including sometimes with physical force. One study recognized that sometimes teachers punish the victim for their reaction behavior rather than addressing the provoker-bully (proactive aggression child). Recommending that a young, developing child who has reactive aggression brain makeup to override the actions from their brains impulse area is asking a lot, it is asking too much. The problems are that recommendations made by Jay McGraw are tailored to children (people) who dont have the reactive aggression brain composition. (There are some studies on this topic that all parents should learn about. I wish Jay McGraw had delved into that issue. Actually it would make a great topic for a full Dr. Phil McGraw show.) Parents also need help with advice for handling their victim-children who have reactive aggression programming.

As a parent I once did phone a mother to discuss her sons verbal and physical bullying of my then-seven year old son and Jay McGraw may be surprised to hear how that went. Jay, not being a parent, has not yet had these difficult experiences. He seems to have not yet witnessed cruelty that some children as young as two and three years old do to other kids. All one needs to do is watch the moon bounce at a preschoolers birthday party to see bullying in all its forms, as well as parental non-action. McGraw seems to not realize that both the bully and the victims parents sometimes dont see it, or see it and choose to not address it, some are in total denial and dont want to admit their child is doing anything that would implicate them as imperfect or the parents choose to not teach and instruct their children on good social skills. In fact, some parents teach their kids these behaviors and think that bullying is normal. One upper class suburban father told me hed rather have his kid bullying others than being the victim, so he actually endorses that his son verbally insult others based on their physical appearance, their inferior athletic skills or if they are a and un-cool (in their familys definition). The victim and the parents of the victim have a hard row to hoe to try to change and convert the bully and the bullys parents and that issue is not addressed in the book, because the author feels if we do small actions then big changes will happenthat is totally unrealistic.

There is not enough focus on the cruelty of girls. There are too many examples in the text of the book of boys bullying boys. A brief mention of girls is in the beginning and in one example but to be honest the girl bullying is much sneakier and begins in Kindergarten now, according to my friends. The girls are more about power in relationships, cliques, excluding other girls, and focusing on the physical appearance, thinness, their hair color and style, the right clothes even in elementary school. Verbal battles over who is whose girlfriend begins in third grade. Plus the advice to just ignore the bullying does not apply to the girl issues of being overly concerned with girls wearing the certain brand of clothes, having the latest and most expensive cell phone or Blackberry (this is happening in my nieces middle-class suburban middle school). This type of verbal bullying is seldom addressed by teachers in school and often these girls get away with all that bad behavior. Often those girls are masters of deceit, looking innocent and well-behaved to the teachers eye when in fact they are being cruel. No amount of ignoring the put-downs will fix the fact that some parents cannot afford to buy the stuff for their daughters and some other enlightened parents choose not to buy into that materialistic mindset even if they can afford to do so (but their kids suffer).

The philosophy in the book puts a lot of responsibility on the victim. The victim is told to get real about their situation and they are told to realize how they have actually brought it on themselves usually due to not exuding self-confidence in their body language (which comes across rough, because kids taught to be kind and to not be trouble-makers are not necessarily lacking in self-confidence). The victim is given ideas on how to cope with bullying. Next the victim is instructed on how to make their parents aware of the bullying, since the author states often the parents are clueless regarding the fact that their child is being bullied. An assumption is made that the parent will actually advocate for their child (usually this not true, McGraw may be surprised to see how parents who know their kids are being picked on often choose to take no action). The last step in the bullying-ending process that the author outlines is for the victim/child and the parents to try to get the school staff to end bullying by asking the school staff to stop bullying.

There is not enough information in the book for parents. An example is how in some homes teasing and name calling between siblings is tolerated as normalso when the child does it to other kids in the community the parents see nothing wrong with it. Therefore when the victims parents phone them to complain, as Jay McGraw recommends, it will fall upon deaf ears. Unfortunately McGraw is too optimistic and thinks that just by asking that something stop, the adults and children will stop. It is just not true in every case. It is not realistic at all. There is not enough actionable information for parents to use to urge or demand that schools take more action to stop bullying.


I was disappointed with how wimpy the author was regarding holding school teachers, school bus drivers and school administrators accountable for keeping kids safe while on the school bus and in school. In fact, the school bus is never mentioned in the book, and it is usually the prime place where victims are bullied! (In my town less than half the elementary grade students use the bus as the parents are trying to protect their children from school bus bullying that the parents witnessed or experienced when they were children, that is how bad the school bus situation is.) We already know that video cameras on busses dont stop bullying (as weve seen on other episodes of Dr. Phils show). And anyway how are school bus drivers who are busy driving supposed to monitor and police the students? Do we need school bus monitors or even armed guards?

The role of the schools in the bullying experience is hardly addressed in the book and the onus is put onto the victim to verbally ask the teachers and principal to put an end to bullying. That notion is ridiculous, to inspire the weakest person to become the strongest leader in the movement to stop what has been allowed to happen for not jus a few years, but what has been happening for hundreds of years (John Muirs memoirs showing one example of school bullying in the early 1800s). I feel that all teachers and school administrators, as adults in charge of the care and education of minors, including many who want all children to have good self-esteem have failed miserably to provide a safe environment in school and on the school busses. The adult school employees should be the ones setting a standard for safety and right conduct in their schools, but they have failed and I wish Jay McGraw would push them to admit their huge role in being a bystander and demand that schools begin changing their ways. Change might happen quicker if it comes from the top-down rather than from the bottom-up.


Lastly trying to write a book to kids ages 9-13 is tricky. I feel the language and reading comprehension may be a bit too difficult for a 9 year old (a fourth grader). Perhaps the younger kids should have their parent read the book aloud or those kids should listen to the audio book format. Also the kids on the 12-13 year old spectrum may think the book is too childish and might not give examples of the crueler bullying that happens in 7th and 8th grade.

I applaud the fact that another book has been published on bullying. It is clear that Jay McGraw cares about this issue and wants bullying eradicated, something he and I agree upon. However the book puts too much blame on the victim. The books strong point is trying to get the victim to have a better self-conception and to gain courage to try to stop it. The reality of the situation is that bullying is complex and not easily solved. I doubt it can be solved by the victim suddenly changing to be super self-confident and suddenly exuding leadership skills to be a change-agent in their community. Followers cant suddenly become leaders. Introverted kids cant will themselves to convert to being assertive extroverts. Uncharismatic and unpopular victims wont easily win the support of the bystander school peers who are concerned first and foremost with their own selves. A lot of the unchangeable nature of a childs personality defines their place in the pecking order that American public schools cultivate. A child, especially one who lacks self-esteem and has been victimized, sometimes for years, cant suddenly change who they are to become Top Dog or become popular, just as they cant will themselves to be accepted in some of the more powerful and higher regarded cliques. Those sad facts help the bully-bystander-victim cycle continue today as it has been happening for hundreds (thousands?) of years.

The psychology of groupthink is not addressed, and I feel that is a major contributor to the bystander mindset. The hardest group of people to get to buy in to this anti-bullying plan is the bystanders. It will be difficult to get bystander-children to take action, especially if their personality is that of the follower or they are introverted and non-assertive. I dont think the book provides enough inspiration or actionable ideas to get the bystanders to join in the rally to stop bullying. Children who are bystanders first and foremost have their own self-protection in mind and few will do anything that might make them become the new target of the bullies.

In summary the book has good intentions but over-simplifies the complex nature of the bully-bystander-victim relationship so the ideas are not enough to end bullying.


Perhaps Jay McGraw can do more research and write a second book for parents and a third for school teachers and school administrators. By going into more detail, by being more realistic about how complex the social interactions of bullying and around bullying really are, and by demanding that parents and school employees take more action to keep kids safe perhaps it can happen. Each group must take responsibility, the victim, the parent, the school teachers and the bystanders might, if all united and working in tangent, be enough to squash out the actions of the bullies. Maybe.


Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program so I could read and review it for Amazon Vine.

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Over the next three weeks I will be writing a series of posts titled ‘Five things that I hate about.’
Slow check-in
Technology is improving and we are starting to see airlines introduce online and mobile check-in. In my opinion it cannot come quicker for all airlines to offer this. I have started to take very little luggage on my trips so I can take it on as hand-luggage just to speed up the process of check-in.
Lack of free, reliable WiFi spots
It’s 2008, and we still have to pay £1 for 10 minutes internet access at most of our regional airports. The few airports that do have free WiFi spots, the quality of the service is poor. It’s just profit hoarding to charge people for internet access in public spaces.
Lack of information on delays or cancellations
One of the most annoyances I hear from consumers is the lack of information from airlines on delays and cancellations. How about information booths or an airport intranet for those with laptops where passengers can get the latest information their flight, and destination and tourist attraction content.
Too many shops – less space for security checks
It would seem common sense that the space that shops take up that the airport operators could use that space to make life easier for passengers. London Heathrow is a good example of this, where, more lines for security checks could be created if they took a way a few shop units.
Attitude of baggage handlers
As I wrote on a previous post about the uncaring attitude some baggage staff have when handling wheelchairs, the same applies to pushchairs, and baggage in general. Everyone’s holiday nightmare is arriving at the destination to find that damaged items or worst still lost luggage.
Add your own ‘hates about airports’ in the comments.

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As a Christian, I believe the Bible to be the infallible Holy Word of God. I believe the Bible to be true and flawless. It is perfect in every way like Mary Poppins, even though I can not deny the fact that there are indeed a lot of passages that conflict with one other, passages that dont make sense if taken too literally, and passages that contain content thats not suitable for children and sensitive people.
And the way creationists deal with the Bible is entirely blasphemous. It is highly evident that creationists dont follow the Bible. They only follow parts of the Bible that suit their own means. Every time they make statements such as, “The Bible is true; The Bible is Gods Word;” and “Gods Word is infallible,” it all clearly translate to, “My word is true; The Bible is my word; My word is infallible;” and so on. This is exactly what those phrases translates to every time Ken Ham, his Answers in Genesis cranks, and other YEC cranks says things like “The Bible is flawless.” in their writings as well as in other forms of media. All creationists who believe in the 6,000 year lie says such things like that to get even most devoted of Christians to follow their satanic teachings. Sometimes, just because a religions doctrine speaks the language of Christians doesnt mean it comes from the mouth of God.
Not long ago, Ham updated his crappy The Answers Book to feature the usual tripe thats nothing really new at all. Every part of his book contains the usual of stupid lies, false deceit, sugar coated Bible phrases, bigotry, slander, and minced Christian language. I will only debunk the dinosaur chapters chock load of his crap from his book and those chapters all have to do with dinosaurs and how Ham deals with them his own power-hungry way. As youre about to see, Hams ways is no different than the ways of all other creationists who shares the same ideas he has about dinosaurs.

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Large numbers of travelers are visiting developing countries like India from developed countries (Europe, America etc.). Studies show that 50-75% of travelers to the tropics and sub-tropics (including India) report some health problem during their stay or after living the country which they visited although most of the health problems are minor and only about 5% require medical attention and less than 1% requires hospitalization (1). Infectious diseases are the main culprit for the health problems among the travelers. But they rarely cause fatality among travelers.
It is your personal doctor (or immunologist, or infectologist) who will tell you which vaccinations you need before travel, and if vaccination is safe for you. If you travel to India you should set up an appointment to doctor 4-6 weeks before traveling, since in this time most of vaccines take effect (2).

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Anna J Robinson

Today, most people spend a considerable amount of time online. There is also more and more people spending time traveling then in decades past. Some reasons include more people traveling for business, and also the cost of travel is more affordable, with more options available for booking reservations for various aspects of travel including flights, hotels, and cars. Because more people are traveling, and so much time is spent on the internet, a fairly new concept has emerged online. Online maps have become very popular over the last few years. Most people that have used the internet and have also traveled have probably taken advantage of online maps and for many reasons.

One reason is because of the amount of time people spend on the internet on a daily basis, they are already online so finding a map does not take up too much extra time. It is very easy to quickly get a map while working online. These maps are also very convenient because a person does not have to take the time to go to the more traditional places of obtaining such as at a travel agency, travel and tourism office or even a store. These maps can also be a cost saver since a person does not generally have to pay for them or the other services the online provider offers. This makes traveling last minute much easier for people, which happens quite often. People cannot always plan their trips with ample time to gather maps by other means, so having a variety of maps available from their computer is a real time saver and convenience.

By going online to find a map, a person simply types in their starting point and their final destination and an online map comes up, usually with the best travel route highlighted. Along with this map, usually the website will give travel directions to coincide with the map itself, giving the person the best of both types of directions, making it very easy to get to the desired destination with little problems. These maps can also show where points of interest to travelers are such as some hotels and restaurants.

There is absolutely no doubt, online maps are very handy, they allow people with limited time to gather good travel directions, which are for the most part quite reliable.
However, just like all things, they are not perfect. The savvy traveler will take the time to compare online maps with traditional maps. Comparing the two types of maps will help the traveler find out which one is best for him or her based on the particular needs of the individual. Online maps will provide details that other maps may not. However, the same is true for traditional maps, which will show things that the online map will not.

Traveling, whether for business or pleasure is something that takes time to plan, even if it is a last minute trip. The use of online maps certainly makes the task of preparing for trips a little less time consuming, making more time for other preparations needed for travel, making the whole experience a little more enjoyable.

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Tobramycin introduced a pair of new programs Tuesday that will provide billion to help unfreeze the market for consumer debt. Miley s Sweet gift A recording studio. Facebook had its eye on Twitter. Carbon dioxide detected on faraway planet. Carlsbad ca plastic surgeon breast augmentation.

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All comets are about the same, right? Not necessarily. Astronomer David Schleicher has been studying 150 comets, measuring the abundances of five different molecules in each comet. One of these comets, Comet 96P/Machholz 1 was different from all the rest, showing an extremely unusual chemistry. Schleicher believes the anomalous composition may reveal the existence of a new class of comets. What makes Machholz 1 different is that the molecule cyanogen, CN, is extremely depleted. In Machholz 1, CN is missing by about a factor of 72 from the average of other comets, i.e., only a little above one percent of normal. “This depletion of CN is much more than ever seen for any previously studied comet, and only one other comet has even exhibited a CN depletion,” said Schleicher. The cause of the chemical anomaly is unknown.
However Schleicher, a planetary astronomer at the Lowell Observatory has come up with three intriguing scenarios to explain origins of Machholz 1, and each one will yield important but differing new constraints on the formation or evolution of comets.

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RV industry sales people will tell you motor home; fifth wheel and travel trailer “slide outs” are the greatest invention in recent history for the RV industry. They may be right as slide outs provide a transformation on the inside of a RV.
The nature of the systems themselves invites a host of electrical, mechanical and logistic challenges. get many questions on slides, so here are some basics.
Slide out Mechanical Drive Systems – Electric or Hydraulic
Electric Motor Driven
* Gear driven electric motor drives a gear system.
* Used more on smaller and lighter slides.
* Work adequately when not overloaded (from engineering standpoint and yes not all are engineered correctly.)
Weaknesses of Electric Slide Outs
* Motor/gear box can go bad.
* Can shear drive pen in main gear drive mechanism.
* Motor can become overloaded ( excessive amp draw) from drag in the slide causing “broken” or “relay” to trip.
Hydraulic
* Used primarily on larger and heavier slides.
* Can use one motor/pump assembly to power more than one slide.
* Mechanically more complex than their electrical counter parts.
Weaknesses of Hydraulic Systems
* Possible failure of pump, valve or hydraulic line.
* Hydraulic lines are particularly susceptible to wear, friction, heat etc. Can develop leaks or breaks in the lines themselves.
Design Challenges of RV Slide Outs
* One would hope the drive systems themselves would be enough to be concerned about but no such luck. The physics alone of moving a thousand to two thousand pound room can be daunting
* One thing to look for is the vertical stance of the slide as it moves in and out. All slides move over have the some type of roller assembly at the outer wall but the slide should maintain its stability (with little tipping in or out) as it moves in and out. Poor stability can damage the floor and can affect the slides ability to seal.
Slide Out Seals
Imagine you are sitting in your $400,000 motor home one afternoon, look up, and spot a bright ray of sunshine shooting across your motor home. You immediately search for the source of this ray of light and almost shallow your tongue. You jump up and make a b-line for the upper corner of the opposing slide, peer into the corner and are almost blinded by a bright ray of sun shooting in between the corner slide seals. It may sound funny but I assure you it was not to the owner as he described it to me. Sealing slide outs is a major challenge – especially in the extended position. Chances are good if you spray wash your motor home, fifth wheel or travel trailer with the slide out… you will, get water inside. Achieving a watertight seal around the entire slide may be one of the most challenging aspects in sealing today’s slides.

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the Cybils site, where you can go to see the other shortlists of 2006 and 2007, so if anyone ever lifts these descriptions from here in turn, please do credit the original authors!

Cybils 2007 short list in Science Fiction/Fantasy

Teen/Young Adult:

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Childrens Books
On her first day as a Ladys maid, Dashti finds herself sealed in a tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Tight plotting, beautiful use of language and metaphor, and an engaging main character make this book a standout.
--Sheila, Wands and Worlds

Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher
Hodder Childrens Books (UK)
No one has been in or out of Incarceron for over 150 years. Now, a young man on the
Inside thinks hes found the way Out--and a young woman on the Outside thinks she may
have found the way In. Success will require going up against the Warden--and Incarceron
itself. The strong writing and characterization, suspenseful narrative, and creative world
building brought this book to the top of the pack.
--Leila, Bookshelves of Doom

Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands)
by Meg Burden
Brown Barn Books
Northlander is an engaging tale which shows how hatred is only ignorance of the unknown.
Though Ellins gift of healing saves the Northlander king, she is feared and imprisoned. This gripping tale is both emotionally moving and thought-provoking.
--Kim Baccellia, Earrings of Ixtumea

Repossessed
by A. M. Jenkins
HarperCollins
Fast-paced and sharply funny, A.M. Jenkins story of Kiriel--the fallen angel whose name
means mirror of souls--takes readers on a week-long ride in the body of an ordinary
human boy. Philosophical in a religious sense, yet untethered from any churchy elements,
this novels quirky appreciation of the mundane combines with a wisecracking,
personable narrative voice to create a funny yet thought-provoking novel. (For mature
readers)
--Tadmack, ReadingYA: Readers Rants

Skin Hunger
by Kathleen Duey
Simon Schuster/Atheneum
Take two divergent story threads and weave them into one of the years darkest novels.
Add vivid characterization, a quest for knowledge beyond any cost, and magic that is
repulsive but intriguing and you have Skin Hunger.
--Tasha, Kids Lit

Elementary/Middle Grade:

The Chaos King
by Laura Ruby
HarperCollins/Eos
The Richest Girl in the World and the son of gangster Sweetcheeks Grabowski have to find
their way back to friendship, as compelling weirdness enters their lives again in the form
of a giant squid, a super-annoying hotel heiress, an animated stone lion, and The
Chaos King--a punk with a serious art fetish. This fast-paced, stand-alone sequel is
accessible to both middle grade and teen readers and is both funny and endearing.
--Tadmack, ReadingYA: Readers Rants

Into the Wild
by Sarah Beth Durst
Penguin/Razorbill
A long time ago, all fairy-tale characters fled from their stories seeking refuge from a tangled, evil forest. Since then, Rapunzel has kept the forest under control with the help of her daughter Julie, but when it gets too powerful she is forced to depend on Julie to set aside her fears and doubts and defeat The Wild. Julies strong character is an inspiring example of duty, survival, and love.
--Traci, Fields of Gold

The Land of the Silver Apples
by Nancy Farmer
Simon Schuster/Atheneum/Richard Jackson
Books
Land of the Silver Apples has it all--adventure, fairies, old world gods, and an ancient world that is caught between belief in the Old Gods and Christianity. This standalone sequel will appeal to not only fans of Nancy Farmer but those who enjoy adventurous tales.
--Kim Baccellia, Earrings of Ixtumea

Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy
HarperCollins
When twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgleys mysterious uncle dies, he not only bequeaths her his house, but a sticky supernatural situation and a rather dashing skeleton detective named Skulduggery Pleasant. This smart novel is full of humor, action, and a real sense of danger--and has a sly wit that would appeal to a wide age range.
--a. fortis, ReadingYA: Readers Rants

The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Disney/Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re-christened it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve year-old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother--accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and a slightly illegal hovercarand realizes that theres more at stake than just her mothers whereabouts. A hilarious satire with a touching ending and spot-on illustrations by
the author.
--a. fortis, ReadingYA: Readers Rants

Three sequels to books on this list have been nominated this yearSkulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire, Out of the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst, and Sapphique, sequel to Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher (Im looking forward to reading these!)

And speaking of sequels, the wait for the sequel to Skin Hunger is almost over (well, kind of). Sacred Scars will be out in paperback in the UK next June, and here in the US in hardback in August (which seems strange, but that's what fanfiction says).

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