It seems that young readers in China like getting goosebumps. Published in the U.S. by Scholastic, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps novels have sold more than five million copies in China since 2002, when Jieli Publishing House launched the series there. When that publisher invited Stine to China to meet his fans in person, the author happily accepted. Last month he spent two weeks touring five cities across the country, and at every stop received a welcome that was anything but chilling.
Kerry Webb writing in Incite in October 2004 listed this wonderful website: If you get annoyed with people who delight in using tautologies (or even those who have not got a clue what they are talking about) have a look at the absolutely essential site at "www.wordexplorations.com/pleonasm.html"
The Presenter Center has a myriad useful PowerPoint tips.
This is just one ...
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Thanks OliviaMitchell
From stories exploring the lives and ideals of family and communities to the reminiscence of roly-poly pudding the finalists of the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards are a true celebration of New Zealand writers and illustrators.
The LIANZA Children’s Book Award 2009 Finalists are:
LIANZA ESTHER GLEN AWARD (Fiction)
Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (Random House New Zealand)
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby (HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Ltd)
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner (Walker Books Australia)
The 10pm Question by Kate de Goldi (Longacre Press)
Violence 101 by Denis Wright (Penguin New Zealand)
LIANZA RUSSELL CLARK AWARD (Illustration)
Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot, Illustrated by Ben Galbraith (Hachette New Zealand)
Herbert by Robyn Belton (Craig Potton Publishing)
My Favourite Places by Martin Bailey (Mallinson Rendel)
Oliver Goes Exploring by Margaret Beames, Illustrated by Sue Hitchcock (Scholastic)
Roadworks by Sally Sutton, Illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books Australia)
LIANZA ELSIE LOCKE (Non Fiction)
Atoms, dinosaurs & DNA by Veronika Meduna & Rebecca Priestley (Random House New Zealand)
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)
Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)
Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)
High-tech Legs on Everest by Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell (Random House New Zealand)
TE KURA POUNAMU (te reo Maori)
Mihiroa by Peti Nohotima (He Kupenga Hao i te Reo Ltd)
Nau te Rourou, Naku te Rourou by Rosalind and Waaka Vercoe (Huia Education)
Ko Maraea Me Nga Toroa by Patricia Grace, Illustrator Brian Gunson, Translator Waiariki Grace (Penguin NZ)
Toheroa by James Te Tuhi and Ross Gregory (Huia Education)
Hinemoa te Toa by Tim Tipene, Illustrator John Bennett, Translator Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira (Scholastic)
The Awards including New Zealand's longest-running book award, the LIANZA Esther Glen Award, are for excellence in literature, illustration, non-fiction and te reo Maori.
Prerequisite to selection as a LIANZA Judge is being a Librarian, along with passion to promote children’s experiences in the literary world; the Judges firmly believe reading and good books are the code to unlocking any child’s hidden potential.
The LIANZA Esther Glen, LIANZA Elsie Locke, and LIANZA Russell Clark Award judges are: Belynda Smith (Panel Convenor), Takapuna Library Auckland; Pene Walsh, District Librarian Gisborne; and Colleen Shipley, Librarian Marlborough Girls College.
The Te Kura Pounamu Award judges are: Alice Heather (Panel Convener); National Library Auckland, Kathleen Tamaki, Manukau Public Libraries and Haromi Williams, The Library and Information Advisory Commission and Tuhoe Education Authority.
The 2009 Award Ceremony will take place in Wellington on Monday August 10th at Caffe L’affare, College Street.
The LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2009 are supported by Wheelers Books and Caffe L’affare.
For further information please contact:
Wendy Walker, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards Coordinator,
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/childrensbookawards/index.html
And I thought it was only me ...!
From the Creating Passionate Users Blog
Do you have a stack of books, journals, manuals, articles, API docs, and blog printouts that you think you'll get to? That you think you need to read? Now, based on past experience, what are the odds you'll get to all of it? Half of it? Any of it? (except for maybe the Wired magazine)
So you let the stack of "things to read" pile up, then eventually when the pile gets to high you end up tossing half of it--or worse, moving it to a deeper "stuff to read someday stack. We have selective amnesia about what we'll ever get to, but mainly because most of us keep feeling like we have to keep up! Keep up with what?
Tag:
time management
The First Couple will be honorary chairs of the National Book Festival, to be held in Washington, D.C., at the National Mall on Saturday, September 26th.
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this will be the event’s ninth year celebrating “the joys of reading and lifelong literacy,” according to an event press release.
This was the start of a nightmare. A painstaking presentation was taking place. I was trying everything known to man to stay awake. For 5 minutes I scrolled through my blackberry looking for distractions. When that proved to be futile I began thumbing through my notebook looking for an interesting story or factoid. In a last ditch effort to show respect and stay awake I vigorously rubbed my eyes. This didn't work either. With each stroke I moved closer and closer to unconsciousness.
My search for a jolt of life was failing miserably. There were no signs that the presentation was ending. After 10 minutes of fighting I succumbed to the twin towers of boredom and sleep. Just as my face grazed the surface the speaker brought his presentation to a close. Applause from my fellow audience members brought me back to life. Relieved, I stood up and quickly left the room.
Boredom is rampant in the public speaking world. Look around you at your next conference or meeting. You're bound to see people fighting sleep, playing with their phone, or drawing in a notebook.
As a communicator you don't have to be boring (it may seem like a rule but trust me it is not). Grabbing the audience's attention as soon as possible will ensure that you are not boring.
Once you reach the Tipping Point the audience is fully engaged for the duration of your speech. That is why this concept is so important. Reaching this point as soon as possible should be your goal in each presentation.
If you understand the concept of the Tipping Point in public speaking you can use it to maximize your effectiveness. In public speaking the Tipping Point is defined as:
"the point in which you gain the audience's attention and they begin actively absorbing your information"
There are 2 key takeaways from this definition:
Gaining the Audience's Attention
To take full advantage of the Tipping Point you need to gain the audience's attention quickly. An ear catching introduction is the best tool in this scenario. Since most people use normal speaking patterns this is not a difficult thing to do.Here are some of my favorite tactics for gaining audience attention:
Certain extreme cases (eulogies, statistical deep dives, fact only information exchanges etc) may not seem like the place for one of these openings. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dry scenarios like these need some spice to keep people engaged and following the message.
Active Information Absorption
When an audience is actively involved in your presentation you will know. There really is no mistaking it. People take notes, ask questions, and focus all their attention on you when they are actively involved.
When you see this you will know that you have reached the tipping point. It is nearly impossible to negate the effects of the Tipping Point once you have reached it in a speech. You have to make a colossal mistake, and we both know you won't do that.
Conclusion
The war on boredom in public speaking is an ongoing struggle. Many people fight for the rights of boring speeches. Don't be one of them.
A bored audience is much less likely to absorb information than an involved one. Do your part in fighting boredom by getting to the Tipping Point with your audience as soon as possible.
Prove your merit at the beginning of your speech and ears will open immediately. When they do, use what you know about the tipping point to keep them engaged and informed until you are done.
Marcus Antuan Smith is a creative force in the public speaking world who strives to meet the needs of each and every client. His experience as the Toastmasters President at a fortune 15 company will prove invaluable to you.
Go to his website, http://www.marcusasmith.com for more information.
“Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.”
-- Barbara Rose
Lately, I've been receiving a lot of questions referring to the latest studies and research findings, and one question that I receive most queries about concerns the role that stretching plays as part of the warm up.
Currently, there seems to be a lot of confusion about how and when stretching should be used as part of the warm up, and some people are under the impression that stretching should be avoided altogether.
This is a very important issue and needs to be clarified immediately. The rest of this article is dedicated to dispelling some common myths and misconceptions about stretching and its' role as part of the warm up.
What has Science got to say?
Most of the studies I've reviewed attempt to determine the effects of stretching on injury prevention. This is a mistake in itself and shows a lack of understanding as to how stretching is used as part of an injury prevention program and the warm up.
Stretching and its effect on physical performance and injury prevention is something that just can't be measured scientifically. Sure you can measure the effect of stretching on flexibility with simple tests like the "Sit and Reach" test, but then to determine how that affects athletic performance or injury susceptibility is near impossible.
One of the more recent studies on stretching supports this view by concluding;
"Due to the paucity, heterogeneity and poor quality of the available studies no definitive conclusions can be drawn as to the value of stretching for reducing the risk of exercise-related injury." (The efficacy of stretching for prevention of exercise-related injury: a systematic review of the literature, 2003, Weldon)
To put the above quote in layman's terms; there hasn't been enough studies done and the studies that have been done are not specific or consistent enough. For the most comprehensive assessment and conclusion of research done on the affects of stretching I suggest you have a read through the following article, The Truth about Stretching.
The Greatest Misconception
Confusion about what stretching accomplishes, as part of the warm up, is causing many to abandon stretching altogether. The key to understanding the role stretching plays can be found in the previous sentence. But, you have to read it carefully.
Stretching, as part of the warm up!
Here's the key: Stretching is a critical part of the warm up, but stretching is NOT the warm up.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that doing a few stretches constitutes a warm up. An effective warm up has a number of very important key elements, which work together to minimize the likelihood of sports injury and prepare the individual for physical activity.
Identifying the components of an effective and safe warm up, and executing them in the correct order is critical. Remember, stretching is only one part of an effective warm up and its' place in the warm up routine is specific and dependent on the other components.
The four key elements that should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm up are:
Please note; dynamic stretching carries with it a high risk of injury if used incorrectly. Dynamic stretching is more for muscular conditioning than flexibility and is really only suited for professional, well trained, highly conditioned athletes. Dynamic stretching should only be used after a high level of general flexibility has been established.
All four parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All four elements work together to bring the body and mind to a physical peak, ensuring the athlete is prepared for the activity to come.
So what conclusions can we make?
Stretching is beneficial, when used correctly. However, as with most activities there are rules and guidelines to ensure that they are safe, and stretching is no exception. Stretching can be extremely dangerous and harmful if used incorrectly.
Remember, stretching is just one very important component that assists to reduce the risk of injury and improve athletic performance. The best results are achieved when stretching is used in combination with other injury reduction techniques and conditioning exercises.
Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective.
For an easy-to-use, quick reference guide of 135 clear photographs of every possible stretching exercise, for every major muscle group in your body, get a copy of The Stretching Handbook. You'll also learn the benefits of flexibility; the rules for safe stretching; and how to stretch properly. Click here to learn more about The Stretching Handbook.
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Copyright © 2008 The Stretching Institute™
Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and
sports injury consultant with nearly 20 years experience
in the health and fitness industry. For more free articles
on stretching, flexibility and sports injury, subscribe to
The Stretching & Sports Injury Report by visiting
The Stretching Institute.
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"We all have the extraordinary coded within us...waiting to be released."
Jean Houston
Keep text and graphics separated. Text that is placed on top of graphics appears cluttered, busy, and competes for attention. Click for makeover.